Sophie Mellema - Linocut on Japanese paper, Z.T. - Framed

Beautiful framed linocut by Sophie Mellema.

Sophie Mellema (Lochem 1945 - Roswinkel 2023) studied in 1965 and 1966 at the Academy of Minerva in Groningen and from 1986 to 1991 at the AKI in Enschede. She works with various techniques: painting, oil pastels, collage, graphics, mixed, poems and photography. She was a member of the Oldenzaals Kunstenaar Kollektief (OKK) and Artists' Association VanTynaarlo (VTNL). She was also a teacher of mixed media at the Open University Haaksbergen. There have been many exhibitions of her work, including in Eefde, Kampen, Hardenberg, Kleve, Delden, Ruurlo, The Hague, Emmen, Ulft (Huntenkunst).
Sophie lived most of her life as an artist in Oldenzaal. In her early visual work from the 90s we see many images from the industry. There she sees an abstract hard reality without frills. In the image formation also plays a role to show a clear concentrated observation, for example by using primary colours. In the photography of that time we see similar elements and the focus is on buildings under construction or decay. In the oil pastels that followed the mixed shades were discussed. The plane was broken up and became more spatial and came into motion. The mysteriousness increases. Around 2000, direct reality was let go even more. Clouds and other floating elements appeared. An important starting point is freedom. In 2002 landscape-like paintings on large format followed. Buildings are shown where apparently nothing is happening, but where something is still going on. The series 'Tabernacles' was nominated for the City Prize of Delden. After this phase large works followed in which the human figure plays a larger role. They are standing in a landscape where the most wonderful things are happening. Again we see a similar trend in her photography: more people, in their everyday state but nevertheless in surprising shapes. After 2004 we see more and more poems, which results in her being honored as 'Poet of and at the Koetshuis' of Oldenzaal in 2010. Two poetry collections of hers are published: 'Cloud' and 'Water'. In the last years of her life she had a gallery at home in a monumental farm in Roswinkel. Colleagues are also invited there to exhibit.