Interview with Léonce Lemmens — Contemporary Art Curator Magazine

Léonce Lemmens is a Dutch abstract painter, born in Maastricht (NL).
In her youth Léonce Lemmens always was drawing and painting. She wanted to become a fashion designer and studied at the Art Academy in Maastricht. Her plans changed: during her study she seized the opportunity to work at an advertising agency. A job that led her to quit the Academy. After some years in the advertising/public relations world, she took a different path and the next decades she had a meandering career, working in healthcare and corporate organizations.
Throughout her life, her art had been private domain. That was until 2014 when she – being an avid traveler – made a trip to the Mongolian side of the Gobi desert. This particular experience cut right through her being and reawakened whatever had drawn her to painting in the first place. Painting has her full attention ever since and she found her way in abstraction.
Léonce makes (mostly large) abstract expressionist paintings and she works with acrylics, oil, mixed media, ink, spray paint and sometimes collages on canvas and paper. She also likes working with sand and other natural materials. Her paintings are mostly made of dozens of layers. Applied paint gets removed again, after which new layers are created with new elements and colors. It’s a playful and inquisitive process, resulting in pieces that tell their own story.
Léonce Lemmens currently lives at the Dutch countryside, after several years staying alternately in the Caribbean and The Netherlands.

How would you describe yourself and your artwork?

I am open minded, interested in the world and influenced by cultures. I love the mix of various styles, whether it is in architecture, fashion or home decoration.

My artworks are abstract, characteristic, layered and inspired by memories. I make expressionist paintings, consisting of build-up colors and mixed textures. Working with acrylics, oil, sprays and mixed media I create paintings that tell a story of their own. The viewer has his own interpretation, and that's interesting.

How do you go about beginning a new piece? Do you have an idea already in mind, or do you start working with materials or sketches to find the departure point?

The start of a new piece is always different. I try to paint every day, but it depends on my mood and inspiration.

I sometimes have an idea for a composition, but mostly it just comes naturally. I try to capture the ephemeral: that which lies beyond words or reason. Every color, light stroke or contrast that touches my heart I translate into my work. I love to travel, meet other people and visit places: from cities to the the desert. Each place has its own story.

During COVID travelling fell away and this forced me to look in another way to find inspiration.

When do you think your most prolific time of day or week is?

I don't have a specific time or day. It happens that I wake up in the middle of the night and start something new or have an idea to work further at an art piece. I don't have a tight schedule. When I'm travelling I sometimes don't paint for weeks but make small drawings or notes in my sketchbook.

What is a barrier you as an artist overcame? Is there anything that enabled you to develop your work as an artist in your life?

I don't feel that I had barriers. I always been interested in drawing and painting and wanted to become fashion designer. I studied at the Art Academy a short time, because I seized the opportunity to work at an advertising agency. Life something takes a direction you don't expect. I worked in various organizations. Working at all these places emphasized the importance of art, not only private but also residential and hospitality.

In 2014 I decided to pick up painting. Because of my love for fabrics I started my textile project 'Art on Textiles'. With my paintings as starting point I created digital printed textiles and designed home decorations such as lampshades and cushions. Since 2018 I only paint.

Did you have an idea of what you wanted to create right from the beginning?

Sometimes I have an idea. But - painting has taught me to do as I feel. I don't think in front of the canvas, my arm takes it over: it's intuitive. I love to experiment and find out how mixed materials match. My paintings mostly consist of build-up colors and mixed textures. Applied paint gets removed again, after which new layers are created with new elements and colors. It's a playful and inquisitive process. The result can be that I mess up a painting, but sometimes you have to destroy something and build it up with another result. Painting is fun, sometimes a struggle too: is it enough, is it too much?

What is the meaning or creative inspiration for your work? We’re curious what the narrative or story is to what you are producing?

Inspiration comes from everywhere. You just have to see or feel it! It comes in so many forms, but it's a gift when you have the feeling to translate it in your work. You also have to feel the energy.

Occurrences in daily life are the most creative inputs: a new day offers new challenges.

Of course there are inspirational painters ánd quotes. I love the quote from Marina Abramovic: 'Art comes from life, not from the studio'.

Besides your artworks, are there any other things in life that your voice as an artist may consider vital or valuable? What makes you joyful and creative, in other words?

The most valuable for me is a mix of being/working alone in alternation spending time with the people I love. I feel best when living in an area that brings joy and inspiration, but also offers the possibility to experience new things. It's a combination of ingredients with the most important element: not getting bored.