Marissa Oosterlee is recognized for her hyperrealistic figurative pieces that captivate the viewer with not only their technical detail, but also the narratives that she brings to life. The works show her adept hand and subtle nuances, making it hard to believe that art was not Oosterlee’s first career. She started off, instead, as an aspiring semi-professional cyclist, but a heavy accident at age 20 ended the career early. One year after recovering from the accident and picking up brushes and pencils again, she became a professional artist.
Washing Away My Sorrows IV – Floating, oil on panel, 30 x 40"
Since that time, Oosterlee has created many series of paintings including her newest, Washing Away My Sorrows, which connects the figure with water. Ever since she was a child, Oosterlee has been attracted to the water—the sea, forest lakes, ponds and ditches—so this is a natural outlet for the artist, who also adds that her name “Marissa” means “from the sea—mermaid.”
The paintings in this series—all titled Washing Away My Sorrows, with different numerals and subtitles—are about “the then, now and later,” she explains. “Life without water is not possible. Water symbolizes purity, clarity, tranquility. It reminds us that we need to clear our thoughts every now and then and that we must strive for a state of purity.”
Washing Away My Sorrows, acrylic on panel, 29½ x 39"
Washing Away My Sorrows III, oil on liquid paperboard, 12 x 16"
Oosterlee adds, “Water reminds us, all shall pass in time. With my representations, I want to portray reality. We are all part of a larger whole, but we do not always see that. I believe in the power and the endless possibilities of an image.” The women in her paintings are often submerged partially in the water and with their eyes closed, which Oosterlee says, makes “you wonder what they are thinking…are they actually still in this world with their mind?” The water itself, when staring at it long enough, becomes more abstract but is still “tangible and real.”
Oosterlee lives in The Netherlands and runs Foxy Studio where she works and teaches workshops. —
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