Keetje Mans, ceremony candle candy, oil on linen, Photo Bert Janssen 2017

“Replace all world leaders with animals.”

Name

Keetje Mans

Profession

Artist

Website

keetjemans.nl

Keetje Mans at the Studio 2022

Where are you from?

I was born in Amsterdam Holland but I live in the deep south of Holland in Maastricht where I have my studio. 

Your style in 3 words?

Homespun, dreamy, opaque

Your weakness? Your strength?

Wanting too much at the same time/endurance

What makes you different?

I don’t feel different everybody is a little different.

Keetje Mans Betelgeuze 300x200cm acrylic paint on linen, 2022, photo Moniek Wegdam
Keetje Mans Betelgeuze 300x200cm acrylic paint on linen, 2022, photo Moniek Wegdam

When did you decide to become an artist? When I was 7 maybe I always knew. There was just no question about it.

Keetje Mans, Forest Dark Blue, acrylic paint on linen, Photo Moniek Wegdam, 2020
Keetje Mans, Forest Dark Blue, acrylic paint on linen, Photo Moniek Wegdam, 2020

A few words about your favorite creation?

I do not have a favorite one…but maybe the new ones I am excited about making..that is a thrilling feeling…but I do look back to learn from my former ones.

What surprised you most about your first art shows?

They change you…every time. As soon as your work is in a show it becomes more real somehow. 

Keetje Mans, wanderlust, acrylic paint on, linen 100x120cm, Photo Moniek Wegdam 2018
Keetje Mans, wanderlust, acrylic paint on, linen 100x120cm, Photo Moniek Wegdam 2018

“Freedom is everything for an artist a deep gasping realm if you use it right.”

Someone else’s work that inspired or inspires you…Kai Althoff, Jean Brusselmans, Laura Owens.  Who would you like to work with someday and why? I would love to paint a movie décor for Tilda Swinton. Because she is a weird beauty.

Keetje Mans,Pot 180x135cm, acrylic on canvas 2020 Photo Moniek Wegdam
Keetje Mans,Pot 180x135cm, acrylic on canvas 2020 Photo Moniek Wegdam

A new project coming up or an idea you want to work on? 

I am working on making a book about my paintings and drawings.

2023: Where are we going?

There is something about the next year every year I guess….I am not sure if it will be different. 

Do you think about time as an artist?

Yes, I do…but painting is a completely different time realm, there are different rules and you cannot rush anything.

When the going gets tough…

…mostly I do sports and sometimes I get drunk.

Put on your future vision glasses: What direction is our generation moving in, and what will our world look like in 50 years?

I think we are all dead but I hope it is just not true and a miracle radical angel environment hunter is coming to save us. I really got my hopes up! 

What would you do if you could change the World? 

Replace all world leaders with animals. 

Keetje mans Bird Island 290x200cm acrylic paint on canvas photo Moniek Wegdam 2020
Keetje mans Bird Island 290x200cm acrylic paint on canvas photo Moniek Wegdam 2020

What does freedom mean when it comes to art? Freedom is everything for an artist a deep gasping realm if you use it right. 

If the universe is everything and it’s expanding, what is it expanding into? 

Into something way too big for me to comprehend…even though we are all part of it …maybe somewhere deep down we know.

Tell us about your future plans

I am working on making a book about my artwork and of course painting, painting, and painting.

Your city’s favorite spots? 

Bonnefanten Museum, Marres, Jan Van Eyck Academy the brandweer kantine, café Zondag, traders pop.

Keetje Mans at the Studio 2022
Keetje Mans at the Studio 2022

Last but not least: what is your favorite Song? 

It changes but at the moment: (I want to live on an ) Abstract Plain by Frank Black 

One last statement please: „Wood or stone, gold or art?“ 

Art! For Sure! But I love wood too

Your #…?

#keetje_mans