Susanne Lingeveldt was born in Bünde and studied art and literature as a teacher at the University of Bremen. In her formative years, she explored alternative lifestyles and travelled a lot. She moved to Cape Town in 2018 and lives in Woodstock. In 2021, Susanne started painting more again because of an unstoppable desire to do so.
How did you get into art?
I have had a passion for art for as long as I can remember. There was never a conscious decision to "get into art". Being creative and artistic, and creating aesthetically pleasing images and items has always been a part of my life.
As I got older, "adulting" and its time restraints saw my creative time decrease, and for a long time I got caught up into thinking that there are certain rules and techniques in art that you must be able to master to call yourself an artist. That always bored and demotivated me and just wasn’t my calling.
An older me would tell a younger me, "Create as you wish and what moves you!"
How would you describe your style? What makes your work special?
My style is very intuitive. I love working with acrylics and lots of water and am completely in love with the look and feel (and even smell) of raw canvas. This is usually my base of an artwork. I am drawn to little details that create a feeling of magic to my work in the latter stages of the creative process. Sometimes I use some bronze acrylic for fine touches. My art is abstract intuitive, sometimes minimalistic, and sometimes dominated by bold brush strokes.
How do you go about developing your work?
I usually start with an inspiration that I take out of my sketch books. It can be a certain color combination or brush stroke or pattern that I would like to explore further. In the process I mostly get carried away and land somewhere completely else. I had to learn to trust the process and the more intuitive I work, the more I love my art. Sometimes I need to be bold and take a very big brush and a color I would usually never choose (I usually have a passion for blues and pink) to explore more and move out of my regular art practice. These moments are most exciting for me.
Who or what influences you?
It sounds corny but my daughters influence me a lot. My teenage daughter is very sensitive and has a good connection to what feels right and healthy for her. She constantly reminds me to stay connected to what makes us unique and, in my case, to paint. She would say: "Mama you need to paint; it is healthy for you." She buys me sketch books for every occasion and she paints all day, no matter what. Our 8-year-old also inspires me because she paints so intuitively. She starts humming when she paints and is so at ease with the world in that very moment. She loves every painting she does and does not question herself. She sees herself clearly as a professional artist when she paints and does not question this at all. Lastly, I am deeply inspired by everybody who creates from a point of authenticity and honesty, free of the desire to convince someone or to please someone.
Generally, people that are completely free of fear and expressing their true nature inspire me a lot. I love to speak to other artists about their creative processes, too. I believe that artists need to uplift and inspire each other.
Make us curious. What are you planning to do next?
I really do not know. I am tired of planning next steps. I plan and organize, make appointments and work according to timelines and due dates all the time, it is so tiring. I am tired of the urge of being productive and to constantly feel like having to optimize. I try to not plan too much and not to please and to be freer, to trust my creativity more and to let my brushes guide me. I will follow. I plan to be more unapologetically myself and to live my life and art truly and fearless.
Learn more about the artist:
