Fabienne

Fabienne Kootstra is a visual artist and works as a painter. She teaches drawing and painting classes to children and is also an equine coach and therapist. She uses a variety of techniques and mainly works with acrylic paint. Sometimes she incorporates other materials into her work. She paints on canvas and occasionally on wood or paper. Experimentation and freedom are central to her artistic practice. She does not limit herself to one form or style.

What characterizes her work is the use of color, contrast, and emotion. She paints both figuratively and more abstractly, and her subjects range from women and animals to cityscapes such as the Amsterdam canal houses and skylines. In her work, she often searches for a balance between strength and vulnerability, between stillness and movement. People frequently describe her work as expressive, colorful, and emotional. Art that evokes something and stays with you.

She draws inspiration from life itself: the city, people, music, her work as an equine coach and therapist, and above all, emotions. She is fascinated by what lies beneath the surface. What someone feels but does not always express. She tries to make that visible in her work. Sometimes a painting develops intuitively, almost without a plan, while at other times she starts from an idea that gradually evolves along the way. It is precisely this process, in which the artwork can surprise her just as much as she surprises it, that makes it so special to her.

She greatly enjoys teaching drawing and painting to children. She introduces them to different materials such as pencil, charcoal, acrylic paint, graffiti, and mixed media. She believes it is important that children not only learn techniques, but above all discover and dare to follow their own creativity. They often work around themes or artists, but there is always room for their own ideas and style. She loves seeing how freely and uninhibitedly children create, which in turn inspires her as well. Through her lessons, children also develop greater self-esteem, self-confidence, and social skills.

What drives her is the desire to keep discovering and developing herself. Art is, for her, a way to slow down, to feel, and to connect. It does not have to be perfect. It is precisely the rawness and honesty that make it real. She hopes that people recognize something of themselves in her work, or are briefly transported into another world.

For her, art is not a destination, but an ongoing journey — a search for beauty, meaning, and wonder.