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“The greatest gift I have is the ability to transfer
my inner world onto a canvas“

Jade van der Mark is not one of those painters who learn as much as they can about art
and then eventually become artists. Indeed, Jade van der Mark was born an artist. “I came in contact with art in the exact moment I was born”, she tells us. And it was her childhood out in the fields, among geese and nature, that gave her the sense of freedom
and creativity that surely keeps inspiring her works today.
Jade attended the The Royal Academy of Art in The Hague, Netherlands, after experiencing a difficult childhood due to bullying, lack of stability and divorced parents. However, painting has always been the safe harbour where she knew she would find solace: “My painting gave me peace, stability, wisdom and love and it still does”.

Jade, what’s your source of inspiration?

My inspiration comes from anything surrounding me. It can be a Roald Dahl children’s story, a dramatic piece of classical music or a politically fraught piece I read in the newspaper. The world around me inspires me enormously, especially when it comes to groups of people and cultures, diversity and overpopulation. I think the overpopulation of cities is particularly interesting, in fact it has influenced many of my painting series. I have observed large groups of people living alongside each other in a crazy, face-paced existence. Topics such as disconnection, the influence of social media, overconsumption, power and work related to stress are examples of my subjects. I love digging into these subjects and then slowly creating an image in my head. I absorb it all until I suddenly get an overwhelming desire to paint it.