The Alicat Gallery - Representing over fifty local and Western Canadian artists and artisans. Native Art, ceramics, carvings, sculture and ironwork.

Pieter Molenaar

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Biography

Pieter Molenaar is a West Coast artist transplanted from The Netherlands.

He uses the strength of expression that oil paint allows to create the dramatic skies of his sea, city and landscape paintings.

Pieter Molenaar admires the Old Dutch Masters, and this is reflected in the style of his paintings. His colours are rich and his tones evocative. Often, Pieter's paintings reflect a brooding, pensive and compelling atmosphere, most obvious in his scenes of pending storms in rural settings, rolling waves of seascapes and slanting light down city streets. Although Pieter has worked in watercolour, he now uses oil exclusively since it allows him such broad scope of expression.

Born in Amsterdam in 1946, Molenaar first became interested in painting when he was 12 and was encouraged to develop his talent by his father. Art school in Amsterdam provided Pieter with training and the opportunity to win many awards. Since coming to Canada in 1979, Pieter has continued to paint and show his work internationally.

When asked from what he draws his inspiration, Pieter replies that memory, photographs and paying attention to the world around him, supply him with all the subject matter he needs. In a style that blends realism and impressionism, Pieter uses dramatic colours, contours and brushwork to enhance scenes from the West Coast, the Prairies and The Netherlands. He creates a unique and intelligible impression of his subjects, which is much appreciated by those who admire and collect his work.

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