Over the years, visual artist Miek Diederen’s work has found its way to a wide variety of places in the Netherlands and abroad. Her paintings have been exhibited in many places, both in the Netherlands and abroad.

A selection of the many exhibitions of visual artist Miek Diederen.

Arnhem - the Netherlands , her first major exhibition (1973).

Tiel - the Netherlands , Agnietenhof.

Sint Michielsgestel - the Netherlands , Atelier Acht A.

Beesd - the Netherlands , Volvo in Arts.

Rosmalen - the Netherlands , villa de Loofert.

Sweden  Göteborg

Born - the Netherlands , gallery Diederen.

Sittard - the Netherlands , museum Het Domein.

Geleen - the Netherlands , art event Rotary Club.

Limbricht - the Netherlands , gallery Prinsenhoek.

Her work sometimes includes recognisable forms, but it remains predominantly abstract. The forms often seem to grow beyond the framework of the canvas, creating a strongly suggestive spatial effect. The contrasting characters of the materials she uses play a significant role in the final result. For example she is able to create a sense of tension by using metals in combination with acrylic paint.

As she says: "it always centres on finding a balance". She finds her inspiration in the earth, in space, but above all in structures. The infinite possibilities offered by a flat surface are a constant and fascinating challenge for her. In taking on this challenge she gives form in her own way to the enormous number of visible and invisible experiences that every day has to offer.

Visual artist Miek Diederen was born and grew up in the idyllic Limburg village of Rimburg in the Netherlands.  She graduated in 1968 at the Academy for Visual Arts in Maastricht. An academic world  where she was not fully at home. In contrast to what you may expect from the 1960’s – freedom/self-expression - Maastricht was dominated at that time by artistic dogma. Above all thinking was not permitted. It was all about learning a craft, a lot of skills and techniques, knowledge about materials and history of art. Even then she had a tendency to deviate from the norm. As a matter of fact that is a compliment.  Deviating from the norm is what separates real artists from the great mass of artists who follow the crowd.  When Miek was at the Academy she wanted to work more on the basis of her own inspiration, and that feeling has only grown stronger over the years.

Later on, Miek Diederen studied for a while at the Art Academy in Arnhem. As part of her studies she  visited France, Italy, Spain, Indonesia and New York.

Miek Diederen’s work has a number of recognisable characteristics. It is mostly abstract. She works with rectangles. There is not much depth effect, but there are a lot of structures present and her work is layered, among other things, by the use of a variety of materials. There are no human figures in her work. She describes herself as being fanatical about colour. There are 120 tints of just one colour, which express themselves slightly differently in every painting. Her work also frequently includes cruciform shapes. This has no religious significance; crosses are just an attractive form.

Over the years her work has grown from being lightly figurative to being completely abstract. Her work is characterised far more now by free lines; a growth from stillness to more movement. Most of her work is very large in scale. Miek: “in a sense what I want is to be able to climb into a painting. That way you become as one with the work. I don’t like small things. Without art I am nobody; I want to leave something behind me for the world”.

Over the years visual artist Miek Diederen’s work has found its way to a wide variety of places in the Netherlands and abroad. Her paintings have been exhibited in many places, both in the Netherlands and abroad.

Seeking out, collecting. Finding harmony where at first sight that seems impossible. Bringing it to life. Searching and finding something you never even suspected. Being surprised by the unexpected. Showing what is inside; what you think and what you feel, and capturing that on the canvas.

A core theme in visual artist Miek Diederen’s work is creating order among chaos. Miek has this to say: “in order to realise my ideas I need chaos. By making a few lines on a white canvas with a paintbrush, in a sense I damage it. I am driven by the ambition to restore order to that which has been broken”. A theme takes on a life of its own, a concept simmers and bubbles. A few large splashes of paint form the initial impulse for an artwork that will continue to shift in shape until its ultimate form expresses the perfection she is looking for. Quite often materials like concrete and jute are to be found in her work. Miek: “What I want to do is to use materials that don’t belong together in such a way that they form a whole again. Constructing with concrete, jute and paint to make a whole”. Yet another example of the search to create unity out of chaos.

“While I am painting I am also an onlooker of my own work. Before my eyes an idea develops out of chaos, to become a harmonious whole”. And on that road leading to harmony she likes to continually surprise herself. “I allow myself to set off down new paths. I don’t want to feel forced to be stuck with just one original idea”. And in this way a work keeps on changing form. Anyone who comes to take a look after two weeks of painting work will often see a completely different painting from the finished work some six months later.

Surfaces are worked on painstakingly, again and again. Searching for the ultimate form, structure and colour. She will re-style areas of colour up to twenty times. Looking for just the right extra layer or nuance of colour. There are 120 tints of just one colour, which express themselves slightly differently in every painting. Even overpainting with the same colour delivers a different colour ultimately, due to the layered quality and the different angles of the light. This layering is a very recognisable style element. Miek: “I work a lot with layers, because they give a painting structure. Every layer has its own dynamic, which makes it unpredictable. Those layers enable you to keep on discovering something new, every time you look at the painting”.

Other works (see Triptych - Diptych - Figures in the gallery) is a series of paintings which form, in a sense, one interconnected whole, whilst each retaining their own identity and character. The surprise is always to be found in the effect that these combinations set in motion. In the case of the Figures ("Gestalten"), each individual painting measures 170 x 90 cm.

Seeking out, collecting. Finding harmony where at first sight that seems impossible. Bringing it to life.

Searching and finding something you never even suspected. Being surprised by the unexpected.

Visual artist Miek Diederen’s work is in a constant state of evolution.