My latest publication A Colour Has Many Layers comprises a full overview of my work so far. From big and small oil paintings, to sketches in my notebook to my latest exploration in weaving.  
 
The book was published on the occasion of granting the Sieger White Award in 2021. The Sieger White Award is named after the artist couple Fred Sieger (1902-1999) and Helen Sieger-White (1911-2010), who had a deep desire to encourage young talent. Since 2012, the Sieger White Award has been presented every two years in the Netherlands to young, up­-and­-coming artists up to 35 years of age from the eastern part of the country. I am the fifth winner after Omar Koubâa (2012), Kim van Norren (2014), Casper Verborg (2016) and Ide André (2018). 
 
The title A Colour Has Many Layers relates to my working method where my work is not the result of a preconceived plan but develops during the process of painting. Small details catch my eye and from these observations I isolate striking fragments and use these to compose new images. This way I built layer upon layer in which colour is in charge of the process. The relativity of color where one color can be made to appear as two different colors is something that Josef Albers writes about in his book ‘Interaction of Colour’. His color theory where he talks about the value of color itself has deeply influenced my practice: I use color as a tool to play with layers and transparency.  
 
For the publication I asked contributions from art critic Jurriaan Benschop and writer Frances Nagy. Benschop discusses my work perfectly: “She has appropriated abstraction without sacrificing the figurative for it. Her work is precisely about that balance between what is defined as form or figure and what remains open or intangible.” Nagy on the other hand interpreted my work freely, similar to a music score. She wrote a beautiful piece called ‘Cloud Forests’ which gives an extra layer to my work.  
 
Lastly, the book is published in close collaboration with the independent publishing house Jap Sam Books and the graphic designer Florian Schimanski. I feel so proud of the end result, it encapsulates me as an artist and my work to the fullest.

Available for €20
please contact info@liesbethpiena.nl