Zoe Van Beurden
Zoe Van Beurden is a Santa Barbara-based artist who works primarily in oil and acrylic paint. Born in 2002, Van Beurden spent the first 19 years of her life living in California’s Central Valley. Growing up in such an agriculturally rich area significantly influenced the subject matter and perspective of her work. The Central Valley grows over 230 different types of crops, and her work often features a variety of them. Witnessing her grandparents tend to their gardens throughout her upbringing, she discovered the joy and comfort derived from nature. She strives to evoke in her viewers the same emotional reaction experienced in the presence of a flourishing garden in an attempt to reconnect with the beauty surrounding us. Van Beurden recently graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara where she achieved her BA in art.
Artist Statement
I create artwork as a means of exploring my relationship with the natural environment. My use of bold–and often complementary–colors, expressive brushstrokes, and unique compositions highlight the sublime quality of nature. My art practice is influenced by my childhood experiences with my environment. I find that nature has the unique ability to bring comfort to others, as it has done for myself growing up. I’m fascinated with capturing this sensuous quality of nature in my artwork while equally emphasizing visual aesthetics.
I take great inspiration from Post-Impressionism artists such as Vincent van Gogh and Paul Cézanne. I admire these artists’ ability to capture the emotive qualities of their subject matter through rhythmic brushstrokes, exaggerated colors, and slight distortions of reality. This influence on my art practice is demonstrated by my tendency to use color and form expressively, transforming indistinguishable subject matter into something unique. I strive to depict personally important subject matter that transcends mere representation. My work beckons the viewer to step into my world where nature is observed with an unwavering child-like wonder.