“It comes from within…”
Paul Zimmerman in conversation with Grada Snijder
Paul Zimmerman: How did you get interested in art?
Grada Snijder: Like every child, I loved drawing and beautiful pictures. I also loved details; for example, I studied my Barbie’s hands and nails because I thought they were so beautifully crafted. During my art history classes in high school, my love for art deepened. A work of art could leave me spellbound, and I would admire it for minutes on end.
PZ: What is the most challenging aspect of your work?
GS: I love details, and that presents a challenge with dry pastels. You simply cannot achieve the same sharp points with pastels as you can when working with a brush. And even if you do manage to create a sharp point, it breaks easily because pastels are dry and brittle. This makes it harder to work with precision and detail—qualities that are important to me, as is capturing a true likeness of the subject. That, too, is a challenge. Furthermore, I believe that conveying the right emotions in a person’s expression isn’t something you can learn; it comes from within, guided by your feelings.
PZ: What is your artistic process? How do you create your paintings?
GS: First, I look for an atmosphere that appeals to me, and then I find images to match. After that, I start drawing, and only once I have finished the drawing do I begin the most enjoyable part: bringing it to life using various colors.
PZ: Do you have any particular goal in mind when your start a new piece?
GS: My personal goal is to relax while drawing, to connect with myself, and to recharge. For me, drawing is a moment of inner peace—a time when everything stands still and I find a sense of calm within. My goal regarding others is to capture emotions and the interactions these evoke in an individual.
PZ: How do you know when the painting is finished?
GS: For me, a drawing is finished when it feels finished—when I have the urge to keep working and add things but decide against it, because I love how it looks just as it is.
PZ: Has your practice changed over time?
GS: Certainly. When I was at art academy, we were taught not to work realistically because it wouldn’t sell. Being the dutiful student I was, I followed that advice. I also worked primarily with acrylics and oils. After graduating, I focused on teaching; it wasn’t until 2018—when I felt a strong urge to create more art—that I began to reflect on what I loved doing most: working with color and creating realistic portraits of people. I happened to have a new, unused box of dry pastels, so I used them to create my first portrait. Several more followed. I subsequently refined both my pastel technique and my approach to portraiture, evolving into the style of drawings I create today.
PZ: Which artists are you most influenced by?
GS: Johannes Vermeer, Jan van Eyck, Raphael, Sandro Botticelli, Auguste Rodin, and Gian Lorenzo Bernini made a great impression on me. I still find their use of color, textures, and aura inspiring. The artworks of Iris van Herpen and Studio Drift have also made a lasting impression on me.
PZ: How would you define yourself as an artist?
GS: I see myself as an artist who loves people and colors. Who seeks depth on the flat surface through the use of color, shadow, and details. I see myself as an artist who places people at the center in a way that appears dynamic, even though nothing moves. I like to see myself as an artist who knows how to bring emotions and feelings to life from a flat surface for the viewer. Communication does not always have to be through words to make contact. Sometimes we just need to be quiet for a moment in the busy world we live in, to take the time to notice what we actually feel.
PZ: What are you working on now?
GS: The drawing I am currently working on is titled ‘Dolce far niente,’ which means the sweetness of doing nothing. For me, this drawing is about happiness and finding it in the small, everyday things we often take for granted, yet which are so important to us—the loved ones around us, a good cup of coffee, or simply enjoying the beauty of nature. It is about taking a moment to appreciate the richness we sometimes overlook. The drawing also features a great deal of nature: a waterfall, mountains, and forests. Being in nature allows me to relax and enjoy myself. And we don’t need to do much to enjoy nature—we simply need to notice that it is there.
PZ: What is the main message of your work?
GS: I think it is wonderful that in art history we have often viewed other cultures as sources of inspiration. That is, that we looked for the good in another culture. In Dutch, we say: ‘What comes from afar is tasty’. For artists, distant cultures have regularly been a source of inspiration. Think, for example, of Vincent van Gogh, who drew inspiration from Japanese prints for his paintings (see, among others, his painting ‘Almond Blossom’), or Rihanna, who attended the Met Gala in the famous yellow Empress gown by fashion designer Guo Pei. I hope that we continue to do our best to want to see the good in others.