Carolien va Olphen

Carolien van Olphen (Rotterdam, 1971) is a Dutch artist living and working in Groningen in the north of the Netherlands. She studied at the “Klassieke Academie voor Beeldende Kunst” (Classical Academy of Visual Arts) in Groningen. She is inspired by the realistic painters of old, like Sargent, Vermeer, Frans Hals, Breitner and so on. While being inspired by these old masters, she brings her paintings into this century. 
Carolien has a deep passion for painting people, by whom she is fascinated and moved. She paints their portraits with great love and attention. Looking for a striking resemblance, but also for a deeper layer in the person portrayed. Combined with an exuberant use of color goes a search for tranquility, which create harmony and a serene appearance in her paintings.
Being a mother of four, she runs a busy and vivid household. Her children and their friends come and go. In the back of the garden, hidden in the green, lies her studio. Here she can withdraw in peace to work on her portraits. And yet, while painting, she brings the vibrancy of youth into her studio. Because her children are her great source of inspiration. Dressed in colorful clothing with beautiful patterns, they model. This is where her great passion for color is expressed at its best. 
She paints the clothes with so much love, in vibrant colors. In her paintings you can see the color￾ful fabric falling convincingly around the figures.
Most of her paintings are depicting a young female figure. She is drawn to the power, the vulnera￾bility, the hope and possibility of the future which are surrounding these girls. 
Carolien doesn’t like to steer the viewer in a certain direction, but hopes they can find their own story in her printings.
One could say Carolien is just creates beautiful pictures. But does not exactly this meet the strong need for beauty and belief in the good of people? These paintings full of hope make viewers tem￾porarily forget their worries and thus bring relief. This is how Carolien guides you into her own col￾orful world.