Marjolein Menke (The Netherlands), studied sculpture at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam, graduating in 1979.
After a number of years, in 1982, she made the switch from sculpture to painting. This has been her profession ever since. It has been said about her work that it is "meeting" of impressionism and expressionism.
Her direct approach, always with a model, en plein air or otherwise in immediate contact with the subject, leads to a looseness of touch and great vivacity. Often it appears as though the subjects on her canvases have been sculpted or modeled in clay.
This way of "direct" painting comes closest to the process of direct observation or "looking" itself. Marjolein's subjects are drawn from the classical repertoire and include portraits, landscapes, interiors, and still lives.