Yvonne Melchers (born in Haarlem/The Netherlands) studies at the the Rietveld Art Academy in Amsterdam in 1968/1969, but has to leave after only one year on account of other obligations. Almost 25 years later, she rediscovers her earlier artistic aspirations and makes her first oil painting (Sander, 1992), but it is only in 1997, after recovering from a life-threatening disease, that she decides to give vent to her artistic ambition. Since 2009 she has been painting full time. Apart from the initial support and stimulation of her good friend, the painter Rob Raats, she is self-taught. Her work is realistic, primarily in oil, occasionally in acrylic or watercolour. She works in The Netherlands and in Italy alternately, and although this causes her some restlesness, she finds the contrast in daily life, light and colour, inspiring and challenging. Her camera is used as an alternative sketchbook to quickly register a scene that catches her attention. These photos may later serve in the realization of a painting when she tries to recreate the tri-dimensionality of the experience through memory and paint. Occasionally, she enjoys painting a commissioned portrait. Until now she has been able to sell her work unaided, both in Holland and abroad, but she hopes to show her work to a larger public in the coming years.

Fabrizio Tondi, surgeon in Abbadia San Salvatore (Tuscany) and author of historical novels, writes about her work:

“The characters in the paintings of Yvonne Melchers, through their tri-dimensional veracity, the intense yet soft light that envelops their profiles, and the artist’s extreme accuracy to detail, seem to physically and emotionally emerge from the canvas. In her paintings of objects, nature and landscapes we are captivated by the atmosphere and perfumes which seem to emanate from the canvas and make us dream. Yvonne Melchers always embraces the soul of the location of her paintings, whether this is her homeland Holland or her adoptive land Italy.’’

She herself says about her work:

“In an increasingly threatening world I witdraw to my studio where I feel a priviliged person. I make paintings that make me happy, that comfort me. If they have the same effect on others, then I am truly satisfied”.

She was invited to participate in the Florence Biennale in December 2011.

In 2011, she will be working mostly in Tuscany, near Siena. Her studio can be visited on request. Tel. (0039)3332719216