At age 4 Marion held grandpa's watercolor pencils for the first time. They came in a metal tin, with all the colors of the rainbow. This was the first time Marion was really attracted to color and drawing. The pastel portraits made by her grandfather awakened her artist's heart. This first experience with 'art' at a young age never let go of her. After learning a 'solid profession' as a secretary, she started a long-lasting learning curve that brought her artwork further.

Inspiration

She started her artist aspirations with watercolour painting and then switched to acrylic and mixed media. In her early years she mainly worked in a modernist style.

'I have made many inspired works based on my personal faith experiences. From 2013 there was a greater need for realistic works. I started to focus more on realism and the technique that is needed for this.

I developed a love for drawing and started to paint in oil as well, in the tradition of the Old Masters: I made master copies or preliminary studies of them in order to investigate and master the techniques. From this foundation of realism, being able to grasp form, tonality, and expressiveness, my mission is to revitalize the Dutch tradition of drawing and painting. It would be so beautiful if this Dutch legacy were to be preserved for future generations.'

Marion is the founder of Dutch Art Academy online school to facilitate realistic art education.

Education

Marion studied at the Gooische Academie in Laren, NL for 5 years and took lessons in watercolor, acrylic, and oil. She did several portrait and model courses, among others with Humphrey Bennett, Svetlana Tartakovska, and Anatomy/écorché with Per Olof Penrick (former Florence Academy of Art anatomy teacher). And portrait, landscape, and still life at the Russian art academy in Florence. In addition, she is constantly engaged in self-study.

Marion has been teaching drawing and painting in the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Germany since 2006.

Marions work