Gust Gallery - Fine Arts

Artist Statement My artwork reflects the world around me, and I draw ideas for my paintings from memory, photographs, and mostly from familiar settings. I was born and raised in Amsterdam, so it is no wonder that my admiration for the Old Dutch Masters is reflected in my work. I use rich colours and evocative tones that often reflect a brooding, pensive and compelling atmosphere most obvious in my scenes of pending storms in rural settings, ring waves of seascapes, and slanting light down city streets. I use exclusively since it allows me a broad scope of expression.

My style is a blend of realism and impressionism, and I use dramatic colours, contours, and brushwork to enhance scenes of the West Coast, the Prairies, and The Netherlands. I create unique and intelligible impressions of my subjects, which is much appreciated by those who admire and collect my paintings. People who are familiar with my artwork often tell me it is my rendition of clouds that strikes them most. In fact, among friends and family, the expression "Molenaar skies" is used to describe particularly dramatic cloud formations. I incorporate the sky and water in some form in all of my paintings.

Biography Pieter Molenaar is an internationally known Canadian West Coast artist transplanted from The Netherlands. Molenaar admires the Old Dutch Masters, and this is reflected in his style-his colours are rich and his tones evocative. Molenaar's paintings reflect a brooding, pensive, and compelling atmosphere that is most obvious in his scenes of pending storms in rural settings, ring waves of seascapes, and slanting light down city streets. He uses exclusively since it allows him such a broad scope of expression.

Since coming to Canada in 1979, Molenaar has continued to paint and show his work internationally. When asked from what he draws inspiration, Molenaar replies that memory, photographs, and paying attention to the world around him supply him with all the subject matter he needs. In a style that blends realism and impressionism, Pieter Molenaar uses dramatic colours, contours, and brushwork to enhance scenes from the West Coast, the Prairies, and The Netherlands. He creates a unique and intelligible impression of his subjects, which is much appreciated by those who admirer and collect his work.