Alex van Efferink

In the summer of 1996 I was on campsite in France , where one could draw and paint. The first day we drew the emptiness. This was in a forest, the spaces between the branches. The other day we went to a small village to paint a court with some houses. What people always say about painting turned out to be true: 70 % is looking/observing. If I looked well enough, I could get something nice on paper. After coming home I bought paper and charcoal and tried to draw the canal I live on, which was far too difficult. But I like portraits best, although I thought it must be very difficult. So I went to the library to get some books with very simple portrait drawings. Six months later I was drawing from pictures.

An acquaintance asked me to come to painting lessons with him, but I thought it would not be my cup of tea. After a few times asking and three months later, in the spring of 1997, I decided to go. The atmosphere was very nice and I thought it very interesting to get to know how a painting was made, so I stayed. After some time I wanted to paint at home, but with oil paint. Just before christmas that year I bought some brushes, paint and prepared paper. Pretty soon I started painting portraits...

I paint mainly from black and white pictures. From pictures out of practical perspective. Pictures are always there when I want to paint. Black and white so I will not be diverted by colours so that I can create the atmosphere I want for my the painting. During summer time I don't paint for a couple of months. The rest of the year I paint about 10 hours a week, next to my regular job. Perforce in the evening, but despite the unnatural light, I have most inspiration during those hours. Because it is dark you are not diverted by earthly matters. The night gives me a feeling of eternity, so then I can find all time and quietness to paint. The most fascinating thing in the world is the human being, the thinking person, I think. Mainly the face. In this the person itself can be seen. The face does know very much expressions. The most interesting is concentration, I think. This one is going inside. During the thinking process, one can read from its face that his world takes place in his mind. You can't see what is happening inside, just that everything is happening in his mind. That is what I like to fix in a portrait: the human being itself, without any contact with the world outside him or a reaction to it. (I don't mean people who have a contact disability, but I am interested in the moment I fix them). Any person has its own world, that is why human beings are so divers. In our world is more than one world, there are as much worlds as persons. And every world is constantly changing with its creator. What I am looking for is: what makes a person that specific person?

At a certain moment, after my resistance to still life, I tried to paint such a boring picture. At least I thought it was boring. I put a lot of things on the picture but it didn't work out. So I decided to paint just one egg. I became enthusiastic, one became more and ever since I regularly paint still lifes.