Marleen Pauwels studied drawing and painting at the “Constantin Meunier” Academy in Brussels, Belgium and etching at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Aalst and Dendermonde, Belgium. In 2001 she settled in Spain where she continues her work as a professional artist.

Over the years the Flemish artist’s style has evolved using various media including etching, collage and oil paint. In her current work, she has created the right expression with mixed media on panel. Her use of colour has been inspired by the natural earth pigments she has discovered during her many travels throughout Spain.
Marleen has an intensive manner of working. The ‘wall’ often figures as the background of her images, it supports her statement and is the ‘field’ of her work. It is a place that functions both as a mirror and as an inscriptive surface revealing more with each viewing.The walls are created using different layers of paper, paint and sand, using this method she has captured both depth and feeling which captivates and inspires.
In her more recent work, the human figure is a constant presence, emerging from Marleen’s fascination with the fragility of the human condition. Once her field has been established, Marleen completes her statement with the placement of her elongated, present yet transparent, human yet ghostly figures. The juxtaposition of the figure within the environment becomes the statement and the question arising from Marleen's exploration into the human condition. The completed canvas presents a timeless and almost theatrical tableau which invites and challenges the viewer to reflect upon themselves and where they stand in their personal environment or field.

www.marleenpauwels.com