Geraldine van Heemstra
Geraldine van Heemstra
by Peter Geraerts
Geraldine with one of her wind drawing devices.
Carrying on the series of discussions with the artists in the Wilderness Art Collective I recently had the opportunity to have an online chat with Geraldine.
The first time I met her was a couple of years ago at an early get together of the artists in the Wilderness Art Collective. As this was the first chance that a lot of us had to meet each other, Geraldine asked the group where the Dutch photographer in the group was and started speaking Dutch. We all looked around to see who she was referring to. I thought, good news, there’s another photographer. As she mentioned the surname I realised she meant me - although it hadn’t registered as there is only a very distant link.
On subsequent occasions when I’ve met Geraldine she often has looked and told me she felt the urge to speak Dutch. Unfortunately each time, until now, I’ve disappointed her.
This time I started off our discussion with “Goedemorgen’ Hardly groundbreaking stuff but it was met with surprise and a smile. Hopefully that was a good start.
I think that it’s fair to say that, for most of us, our experiences as children contribute to and affect us in our adult life.
Geraldine is no exception. She grew up in Holland where she often cycled to school, walked most places and had the opportunity to skate and sail. Very much an outdoors life. I’m sure with the lively weather coming in from the North Sea it was character building stuff.
Geraldine speaks enthusiastically about her work. It becomes clear, very quickly, in our conversation, that the idea of being out in the elements on a windy, rainy day appeals more to her than to a lot of people. Walking is a very important part of her art and in the U.K. the weather is a real mix.
Geraldine always had a dream to go to Art School. Completing her MA provided a breakthrough that she felt gave an unspoken permission to look outside the traditional expectations and to use different mediums from what she felt up until then had been more representational art. It took her into a new direction.
There was an epiphanic moment on Skye during a huge storm. As Geraldine was simultaneously walking and sketching she felt a loss of artistic control. She added that it ‘felt like her hand wasn’t her hand but a separate drawing device’. As a result of this, and from that day, it has encouraged her to create her own devices which she sees as an extension to her body.
Importantly it helps her to step away and let the device and the wind take over to determine the resultant image. This combination, she feels, reflects and reinforces the intangibility of the elements.
She proudly shows me a wonderfully shaped collection of branches from her studio that may be used at some stage in the future.
She emphasises that she has never found the perfect branch - nothing is ever done to order. We have to realise that in all of this we are an insignificant part - something we have no control over.
Geraldine in her studio.
She explains that she sees the wind and rain have a voice. It determines the shapes and sounds of the artwork she produces. That is part of the excitement. Through her work, amongst other things, creating drawing and sound devices, she likes the unpredictability and minimal control to its outcome. She only knows what it will be once the work is complete. In the meantime it could be destroyed by the water, the wind and the drying process. That is in tune with our relationship with nature. Open your eyes, be aware that we are a small part of it and then to accept it and the outcome.
I wondered if when she goes out with her homemade devices she tries or is tempted to manufacture a result. She smiles and responds straight away that pre conceived ideas tend not to work. Accepting that it works when you let it happen to you on a walk, not when you try and force it. It’s all part of the natural world - we certainly aren’t in control. She makes the devices, steps away, and lets it take over. It’s that link between human and non-human interaction.
Geraldine feels that she is a conductor of an unruly orchestra which I think is a great comparison. The wind creates a rhythm – every day is different. The work moves and is created in time with these moods.
I would very much encourage you look at Geraldine’s website - the link is listed at the end of this article. The embedded videos of her work provide a practical insight into what she is looking to achieve.
A device in action out in the elements.
Geraldine has a love of The Isle of Skye which, so far, has lasted over 20 years. It started with an opportunity at Columba 1400 -a social enterprise and charity which helps young people to build their self-confidence to transform their own lives and those around them.
Since then Geraldine has been going to Skye as often as she is able. It’s a place she finds inspiration and is somewhere to recharge her batteries. Now living in London the contrast between the city and the countryside is, for her, an ideal mix. She feels we are moving away from our roots into a busy world but being able to reconnect to the countryside it allows her to connect to the basics and be inspired in her art from that.
At the same time she loves London. Being able to walk along the Thames understandably provides inspiration.
The inevitable question at the moment is to how she has dealt with the lockdown. She has built a routine where she walks every day. As the seasons have changed you see different things and perhaps notice the subtle changes more. She also mentions a ‘necessity’ to walk in the morning to get the sunrise. She always carries a sketchbook with her. This helps to bring back ideas to the studio.
Something that I remembered Geraldine talking about before which I was interested in was the Aeolinan harp. It’s a harp where the sound is created by the wind. The beauty of being able to create music that you have no control of the outcome. Geraldine naturally didn’t stop at that. She created her own.
Geraldine’s Aeolinan Harp
Throughout this, an important constant in her life, has been her involvement and commitment to both Charity and Conservation work. This has developed from both physical and academic beginnings having earned an MA in History of Art, followed by a Post-graduate degree in the Conservation of easel paintings and more recently an MA in Fine Art plus the time she spent on Skye with Columba 1400 as mentioned earlier. Over time this has evolved from Geraldine working in the conservation of Old Masters paintings to partnering with music schools, group art exhibitions and of course The Wilderness Art Collective.
In addition to the above Geraldine also practises mono printing, oils, etching and more recently collecting and grinding her own pigments.
We talk about people that have inspired Geraldine. One of those is Joan Eardley who is listed as one of Scotland’s most popular 20th century artists. I took some time to read a little about her and it became immediately apparent as to why she inspires Geraldine. There are similarities in the approach to the work - a real sense of being with the elements, experiencing their full force and using them in such a way to create art. It applies to them both that if there was a storm approaching, rather than sitting indoors they would be getting the coats and boots on and getting outside. The best way to understand something is to keep experiencing it.
When you look at Geraldine’s work I always have that feeling of a connection with those raw elements in nature. It never looks manufactured but for us viewers, a privileged link into the conditions experienced at a certain place and a certain time.
Geraldine is very keen to collaborate with other artists and has found this inspiring and productive before now. With the other artists in the Wilderness Art Collective I’m sure more opportunities will present themselves in the future.