Nicholas Mynheer was born in 1958 and lives in Oxfordshire, U.K.
He studied Art at the Hornsey College of Art in London, graduating in 1981 and now works full-time as a painter and sculptor. Though using commercial galleries in London and Manchester he is spending more of his time working to commission, predominantly for The Church.
For the last thirteen years or so all of my work has been on Biblical themes and themes from Christian Iconography. Some themes I return to time and again - for instance the arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. What other theme encompasses the whole gamut of human emotions; fear, guilt, anger, love, resignation and hope. It is hope that I would like to think shines through my work.
My style of painting and sculpting is very much a linear one. Line is the starting point and is almost never lost. When drawing a face the slightest change of angle in the drawing of the eye can change the mood from sadness to deepest suffering. It never ceases to amaze me how the merest curve of the chisel or brush can capture profound sorrow or unspeakable joy in a way that words rarely can.
I simplify and stylise the figures and forms. Anything that is not essential is left out and anything deemed important is emphasised. The colours are strong and vibrant so that the paintings often resemble stained glass windows. Yet while the colours are often extravagant I suppose that the style is ultimately one of restraint. It seems to me that rather than such restraint being constricting it actually channels emotion so that it becomes much more intense and focused.
In my work a 'background' is never merely a backdrop. The very landscape is involved in the event portrayed. The trees might act as pointers, the clouds move in response or the hills enfold or lean away.
It is interesting what you as the artist can learn from the painting or sculpture; often you start off wanting to say something but end up being told something. In that respect I suppose it is like prayer - the answer or result is often not what was expected. I suppose, ultimately, I do not fully understand what it is that I do or how it happens.: