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I do not have a gentle approach to painting - it is an energetic physical act. Action painting is at the center of my practice. I use my hands for smearing, blending and erasing. I construct the composition in layers, colors and various mediums; my favorites being acrylics, oils, pastel, oil pastel, watercolor, and spray paint. Keeping an open mind during the process is essential. It ebbs and flows until I feel like I have fully expressed my vision on paper or canvas. My work is a melting pot of intuition, movement and labor.
A characteristic of my work is that the initial architecture of the work underneath remains visible in the finished state. Process is revealed in each picture. I value the pure intention of the initial idea and draft; it is the purest expression of the work. First, I lay down a sketch for the initial groundwork - this might happen in charcoal or ink. As I continue to sketch, bodies of color define themselves and become cues to the composition that connect to form a focus. The work starts to take on a life of its own.
Expressive and abundantly colorful, playfully challenging, my work contains a raw stream of shapes and colors traveling from imagination to brush. It is not aiming to be polished or life-like for I am naturally drawn to semi-abstract work. Instead of settling on one specific subject or style, I take on the limitless scope of life while attempting to stretch my own capabilities and evolve with each painting. Most important to me is a raw emotional quality in the end.
My paintings are personal and based on my experiences of life, my ideals, my beliefs, my mindset. I paint my own evolution inspired by whatever it is I am touched by in that moment. Painting is how I best express myself. It is a way for me to connect with the viewer, although everything is open to multiple interpretations. My objective is to touch and move the viewer. To provoke curiosity, offer a different point of view, and present an element of mystery. Color is my ultimate vehicle for emotions.
By Universal law, everything that is healthy and joyful wants to expand. I believe that is also the reason why I paint; that I have something of value to offer and through painting I get to a higher, happier place. Painting lets me connect and expand.
-Reinder Oldenburger
Reinder Oldenburger is an artist born in Fryslân, The Netherlands in 1984. As a child, color and sound proved to be the two things that moved him the most. In 2003, Reinder moved to Amsterdam to study guitar at the Royal Conservatory of Amsterdam where he graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree in 2007. His strong interest in art and painting, in particular, found expression when he first started painting at age 27. Although Reinder has extensive training in music, as a painter he is self-taught.
Fueled by a drive to explore and expand, Reinder relocated to New York City in 2011, where he continued to develop and establish himself as a painter. A high and consistent output from his Long Island City studio attracted the attention of collectors and art critics resulting in publications and several group shows in New York.
Reinder became the top-selling artist with Vango, a pioneering San Francisco-based online art gallery. Shortly thereafter he acquired his first cover feature for London-based online art platform Artfinder in their annual catalog named The Edit for the year 2016/2017. Later that year he was commissioned by prime real estate developers in Manhattan to produce a conceptual painting to promote the opening of a top-level penthouse in an iconic Madison Avenue skyscraper property.
In 2017, Reinder relocated to Los Angeles, where he set up his current studio. Shortly after relocating to California he was named as one of Artists to know in 2019 by Palm Springs / Laguna Beach art magazine Art Patron.
Today Reinder's paintings can be found in collections in over a dozen countries.
Reinder is also an active musician, writing, recording and playing with the group The Neptune Darlings, and the new Los Angeles-based rock band Ocean Hills.
