Nel Ten Wolde

 Nel Ten Wolde

The work by Nel Ten Wolde combines the beauty of nature from images taken by her on her travels around Albacete, with the surreal affect that collages can fabricate. By using  mixed media alongside her collages a spiritual and distanced mood is created for the viewer, it invites us as the audience to be taken into the arid landscape and spiritual state of mind ten Wolde finds her self in. The fragmented style of ripped photographs is teamed with the juxtaposition created by the fluid shapes her collages take on show both the harsh landscapes and history of the place she finds her self and her true love for the underlying forms of nature. 

Rastrojo (2012) Collage & mixed media on paper

The cool tones of charcoal greys and the straw like folliage of this piece create an isolated feel to the image.

The lack of colour and pattern within the collage makes the piece seem dry and desolate mirroring the landscapes of rural Spain. Ten Wolde has chosen to only extenuate small aspects of the photographs, making the mix media aspects of this collage rather subtle. The lines continued from the mainly grey photographs leads the eye through the piece to the edges of the paper vertically. This is in contrast the the focal point of the image where a twig cuts horizontally across the page. This contrast in form adds to the sinister mood illustrated by the lack of colour and pattern.  

Hidden Layers IV (2013) Oil on canvas

Unlike Rastrorio this piece by Ten Wolde is Oil paint on canvas. It depicts a more urban image with a electric pylon being at the direct centre of the image mimicking nets which is a common theme within this series of paintings. The fragmented style is carried on in this piece however the separation of images is much more fluid. In this painting there are far more curved lines and lyrical motion which contrast with her normal images which depict harsh shapes and line. Once again in this piece the pallet is extremely neutral with muted blues painting the sky. This creates an image of stormy conditions giving the piece an eerie feel. At the base of the composition there is links to her time spent in the desert with the contrasting images of the sky and netting with the arid brown landscape she spent most of her time photographing.

Silk Nispores II (2014) Collage & mixed media on paper

In the piece Silk Nispores II the idea of silk netting is once again paired with foliage however this time in a monochromatic style. The foliage shown here is busy and dense which isnt something traditionally shown within Ten Wolde's pieces. The shape of the bushes is continued in mixed media extending the image vertically and cementing a strong base to the image. The netting images here creates the aspect of fragmentation, which in turn depicts the shape of sails on a boat which is something I personally see within this piece.