Betty Jonker

b. Alphen a/d Rijn, working in Emmen, the Netherlands

Betty Jonker picked up her brush and palette at a young age. She began her artistic career as a drawing instructor, and was the co-owner of an advertising consultancy for twenty-five years, where she designed for national and international organisations. She won awards for a number of her designs. In 2001, she decided to bid farewell to the world of advertising, and once again had more time to focus on painting.

Initially, she worked exclusively in oils, but by shifting to acrylics she developed an entirely new style. This style is a confluence/merging of impressionism and expressionism. Betty Jonker's work impresses by a bold style and extraordinary use of color. She paints with a sure and confident hand. Her work shows a background of experience in compositon and color placement.

Her interpretations, executed in deft brushstrokes, create vibrant impressions of abstract flowers, people, landscapes and animals with a playful nod to human relationships. Betty Jonker exhibits at home and abroad.

Betty is co-founder of the dutch Florence Biennale artists and member of the international selection commite for World Art Vision-Mexico

This website has received the 2009 Artmajeur SILVER Award

This website has received the 2008 Artmajeur SILVER Award

Review written by Prof. Dottore Emanuela Catalano

Storica dell'Arte

1-9 December 2007 Biennale Internationale d'arte Contemporanea Florence

Driven by the passion that fills her, this life-loving artist paints large works, sometimes breaking them up into several parts.
 
She paints in a number of different styles, changing on the basis of the subject and her mood. She loves two-dimensions and glossy paint that conceals the game or invites one to play.
Brightly contrasting colours characterise her warm palette. Her vibrant, voluminous brushstrokes seem to be able to recreate the subject matter in a whirl.
 
The paintings on display at the Biennial feature two subjects dear to the artist, which often appear in her works: tulips, an essential and almost genetic leit-motif, and Japanese female figures, symbolising wisdom and mystery, with fresh flowers tumbling from their complex hairstyles, hidden and yet revealed by fans, parasols and screens.
 
However, captivating female figures stand out in her beautiful book, drawing us with intensity into their distressed minds. Her portraits of children also attract our attention, capturing the joy of those precious years.
 
This artwork, with its varied styles and subject matters, tells us how, in the experience of Betty Jonker, Art and Life are inseparable.

Prof. Dottore Emanuela Catalano

Award Florence Biennale from 1 t/m 9 december 2007

Diploma of excellence, by Artoteque, London