| "I
always like to think I am a composer and a poet ... with pencils.
The story unfolds in an image, in the process of creation. I don't
know in advance what tale will be told through my hands, it is always a
mystery." - Johanna Pieterman. And what beautiful stories unfurl!
Works that appear petal-soft envelop you with their imagery. The
eyes of the subjects, both human and animal, capture and hold your attention,
drawing you into the picture. Dolphins, cats, and birds are tucked
into the illustrations in places least expected and not always readily
apparent on first glimpse. Intertwined in the pictures are fairies,
flowers, stars, and animals. In many of her illustrations, she uses
"threads with little rings" to express the connection between people and
animals. Her pages contain a collection of 12 years worth of non-digital
artwork.
The site is divided into
5 sections - Galleries, Commissions, Information, Links, and The Artist,
with Galleries holding over 50 of Johanna's drawings. Pieces such
as
Aurora Australis, with the fox and the dolphin tucked under the
subject's chin, and When The Earth Was Young, both appearing in
Gallery One, beg repeated viewing. 'The Art Speaks" provides insight
into the artist's thoughts behind seven of her images. The Faery of
the Fields, with the tiny mouse crouched amongst the blades of grass
representing the fairy's hair, is a spectacular example of how interwoven
our universe is. It is also here that you will find the image used
on the opening page of the site prior to the re-design - the compellingly
beautiful picture titled Calling Luna - an image of a wolf, with
its guardian angel nestled ever-so-gently in the crook of the animal's
neck, 'singing' to the moon. 'Inspired by Stevie Nicks' is devoted
to one of Johanna's favourite musicians. The images can be purchased
as prints, cards, stationery, and bookmarks and there is even a link to
on-line jigsaw puzzles featuring Johanna's portraits of Stevie Nicks.
'Commissions' is the section
that really caught my eye. Here, you will find Ms. Pieterman's distinctive
style exhibited within the stunning portraits created from photographs
and her imagination. Send her your photo and she will create
a one-of-a-kind masterpiece based upon your wishes. Under 'Information',
there are links to sites who have used Johanna's art for such items as
cross-stitch charts and e-cards. The artist herself has created 4
beautiful images you may download, free of charge, for use as wallpaper
on your computer. Johanna is the founder of The Mystical Art Web
Ring comprised of professional artists who specialize in non-abstract art
with the focus on magical/mythical themes.
Ms. Pieterman studied classical
drawing techniques, graphic design, and sculpting. Her drawings are
brought to life with pastels, coloured pencils, and negro pencils, enhanced
by water colours, metallic ink, and gold leafing to give emphasis to the
detail. She held her first exhibition in 1990 in Antwerp, Belgium.
Since then, she has had showings in galleries in Europe and the U.S.A.
Johanna's work can be found in private collections throughout the world
and has been published in magazines and newspapers worldwide. Her
illustrations adorn music albums, books, and even people, having created
pictures to be used specifically for tattoos.
Tour The Art of Johanna Pieterman
by clicking on the image at the top of this page.
UPDATE - JANUARY
2003: Since the original review, Ms. Pieterman's
site has been re-designed using Microsoft Front Page software. It
is recommended that you use Internet Explorer to view her pages as the
site degrades rather poorly in Netscape 4x browsers and lower.
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