Marina Cleiren

I was born in Terhagen, Belgium.

I completed my education in Mechelen (Belgium)

After my studies, I got married and moved to the Netherlands. I had children and for several years I was a full-time mother.

When the children went to school, I could free up some time for myself and started drawing and painting again.

I took watercolor lessons from Kees Bak in Halsteren and soon began experimenting with oil paint because watercolor did not appeal to me at all.

I discovered that you could use oil paint in various ways, and this medium increasingly became my preference. I regularly exhibited my work.

Due to moving and renovation work, I stopped painting.

At a certain point, time, peace, and space emerged in and around me again, and the desire to paint resurfaced. I happened to come into contact with the French master Di Maccio and enjoyed his lessons for 2 years. I learned many techniques from him and refined my own technique as a result.

I focused on making portraits. In my portraits, physical resemblance and recognizability are paramount, and I try to capture the beauty of humanity. By alternating between playful and concentrated work, it is also a quest for harmony.

In my free work, I combine abstract and figurative elements with a magical realistic and/or spiritual undertone.

In addition to my free work, I also paint portraits of people and animals on commission.