Marijke Verschoor has been painting her entire life and describes that urge as something natural—the need to transform what she sees or experiences into a painting. Her work brings together a wide variety of subjects, each of which stems from a moment of observation.

Dance occupies a special place in her body of work. It is not just the dancers, but the constant movement itself that forms the core of these works, in which the space between the figures is given just as much weight as the figures themselves. In addition, Verschoor paints landscapes that arise from a fleeting experience, such as light breaking through the clouds—an impression that then evolves into a work on which she spends weeks or months. The vast array of gray tones in the sea, sky, and islands of the Hebrides—observed during a trip to Scotland—and a single tree that struck her with its size and presence also serve as inspiration for new work.

What connects these subjects is not so much a style or theme, but the way in which a single moment gives rise to a long-term process of painting. Even after a lifetime of painting, Verschoor still calls that process a source of satisfaction.

“At a certain moment, you see something—a dance, the wind, rain, or a beautiful light.”

So you work on it for a long time, hoping that moment will come again,

“If that works out, it will be a wonderful experience.”