
Marina Cleiren
About Marina Cleiren
I was born in Terhagen, Belgium.
I followed 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 with Kees Bak in Halsteren and quickly 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 material 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 around me, and the desire to paint resurfaced. I coincidentally came 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 creating 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.