Since the middle of the nineties nature has constantly been present in the background of her works as a source of inspiration. She uses textile materials such as cotton, Japanese paper and horsehair in combination with material from nature as for example dried leaves from willow and rose. Her starting point is not the material, but the shape. Bijlenga is fascinated by the line, graphologic symbols such as the alphabet, handwriting, cardiograms, Chinese characters and fractals; the rhythm of the lines and the space between them. She uses contrasts to achieve a shape with a personal handwriting. The strength of her works lies in leaving things out, and consciously not filling the available space.
No title (2003/2004). Materials: paper and rose petals.
(photo: Ron Zijlstra)
Since the middle of the nineties nature has constantly been present in the background of her works as a source of inspiration. She uses textile materials such as cotton, Japanese paper and horsehair in combination with material from nature as for example dried leaves from willow and rose. Her starting point is not the material, but the shape. Bijlenga is fascinated by the line, graphologic symbols such as the alphabet, handwriting, cardiograms, Chinese characters and fractals; the rhythm of the lines and the space between them. She uses contrasts to achieve a shape with a personal handwriting. The strength of her works lies in leaving things out, and consciously not filling the available space.