My name is Dimitri Feenstra and I’m from the north of The Netherlands. I was born in 1977 in a small village named Hommerts which is in the province Friesland. As a small boy I always loved drawing and painting and my dream was, besides becoming a pilot.., to become a painter of art.
After my secondary school I ended up in an existential crisis and this crisis learned me an important lesson: I wanted to follow my heart instead of my head and use my head to walk the route my heart tells me.
And so I went to the academy of Arts Minerva in Groningen where I graduated in 2001. After this I did my Master of Fine Arts at Frank Mohr Instituut, MFA Painting in Groningen and in 2003 I received my degree. I have been a professional and international artist for over 15 years now.
I mostly paint birds and landscapes, preferably to perception and often on paper. My method of painting appears sketchy and spontaneous. I choose to keep my compositions simple. The traces of the brushstrokes and the texture of the paint are visible and therefore important visual elements. For me it is more important to display the atmosphere and experience of a landscape than an exact, true-to-nature picture of the exact landscape.
I print my graphics at 'Grafisch Atelier Friesland' in Leeuwarden. If you like, you can buy some of my work through my Etsy store (you can find it on my 'Shop' page or click here), including original paintings as well as hand printed prints and cards.
Besides the wooded area where I live, I love to paint the “Waddengebied”. The “Waddengebied” is a part of UNESCO’s World Heritage List and exists of a range of Frisian islands and a shallow body of water with tidal flats and wetlands. The skies are often impressive and the colour changings of the light are a big inspiration for me. I can often be found painting in this area.
Two other themes within my work are airplanes and (old) cars. I've loved this ever since I was a kid. That is why they are inspiring and an important part of my art oeuvre.
At this moment I am working on a new series of paintings and etchings, called Skieregoes. Skieregoes is a bird hide in the beautiful nature reserve Easterskar, which is located in my area. It is a place of beauty, tranquility and inspiration.
My paintings are in galleries and private collections worldwide.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact me through my 'Contact' page or send me an e-mail: info@dimitrifeenstra.nl
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Have a nice day, Dimitri