Angela Meijer
Multimedia Artist
My artistic journey is a personal one. In the late 1990s, I exhibited fine art photography in the Netherlands. My work was often shown in limited edition books where I combined self-portraiture with portraits of others, creating visual dialogues through color and body language. When I became a mother, my focus shifted profoundly from photography to daily painting, resulting in vibrant, non-representational pieces that mirror my inner world. A few years ago, I invested in a good camera once more. Inspired by the beauty of flowers, I began photographing them and incorporating floral imagery into my abstract compositions, crafting dreamlike inner gardens filled with vibrant colors. My exploration of surface pattern design has extended the emotional depth of my work, bringing the joy of color to fabrics and home goods.
Unmasked Memories
Artwork and Haikus
Inspired by a dream, Unmasked Memories combines my paintings and haikus to capture my creative journey over the last 30 years. Recently, I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea, and I was afraid of getting a CPAP, thinking it would restrict my sleep. But once I faced that fear and started using the CPAP, I realized that the very thing I had dreaded was giving me the oxygen I needed to lift years of brain fog. I took a self-portrait photograph of myself with the mask and painted over it with oil sticks. This led me to search through my archives of self-portrait photographs, which I then painted on in the style of my recent floral pieces. This blending of eras in my visual language reflects a hopeful message: that courage and kindness toward our younger selves can transform how we see our past and help us imagine a more hopeful future.
