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 “Because every work begins with play and ends with feeling.”
A personal, lyrical journey of discovery in which I explore, feel, and repeatedly discover where my art takes me.
Rietje Smal-Zwanenburg, working under the name RietjeArt, is a visual artist who finds inspiration in the stillness of nature and the whispers of the landscape. Her studio is located in rural Stoutenburg, where air, light, and earth nourish her daily sense of wonder.
For Rietje, art is not an end in itself, but an inner journey. Each work arises in the space between feeling and imagination—as a response to experiences and emotions from everyday life that quietly present themselves. Often precisely in small moments that hold a profound, sometimes unexpected grandeur.
Her work is not a representation of reality, but an experience—an invitation to feel rather than explain. What appears is not always sharply defined or perfect; for her, quiet beauty and genuine strength lie precisely in simplicity and imperfection.
In nature, she experiences a continuous, changing dialogue between sky and earth—an interplay that she explores and makes visible in her paintings. Her work is abstracted, symbolic, and layered. It invites reflection, stillness, and connection. Not unambiguous, but open—an invitation to look from a different perspective and find your own meaning in the forms and colors that reveal themselves.
With her motto “Dare to live your dream” as an inner compass, she continues to seek authenticity and depth—in material, in expression, and in her development as a person and creator.
Rietje creates art with a message, each work telling its own story.
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https://rietjeart.nl
www.instagram.com/rietjeart
www.facebook.com/rietjeart/
www.linkedin.com/in/riet-smal-zwanenburg-99182017/
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Reflection as an Inner Landscape
Reflection is more than just a mirror image. It is a moment of awareness, an inner dialogue through which you come to know yourself and the world around you better. For me, reflection is intertwined with both my art and my experience of nature.
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Light in Time
In the midst of uncertainty, light always emerges. It whispers of other times, reminds us of our resilience, of moments when we knew: there is always a way forward. Hope is the seed of tomorrow, growing in our hearts and in our hands. It watches over the future, over nature, and over the earth that carries us. Let us cherish that hope, like the warm yellow breaking through the darkness, and together build a world where light and life go hand in hand.
Acrylic on 70 × 70 cm linen, framed with a Tonio floating frame.
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The “Without Judgment” series is an accumulation of feelings, emotions, events, and love. Each layer tells the story of an experience from life. I invite you to pause, to look, to observe, and to feel without judgment. For where judgment begins, curiosity ends—and it is precisely curiosity that opens the door to true perception, understanding, wonder, and connection. |
