About the Project

Twinsed is a challenging project for me. The challenge lies mainly in completing the cards that Diana began. It often happens that when the cards arrived I have to breathe deeply. Diana has a tendency to fill the cards well. I like cards that are fairly empty, so there is space to fill in the cards. Now the questions force me every month to leave my comfort zone.



The goal of the project is for me to leave my comfort zone. To properly explore new things in the cards or to tempt me just to find new ways. Diana herein is a very good partner to work with.

The cards I sometime make use forms that was in the cards Diana has sent me before. At other times I use these cards to test new things and to investigate how Diana with certain forms that I intent works.



TwinSed is thus able to lead a project that month to great heights and surprises for me.

About Ilse van den Berk

She trained as an engineer and artist. She works regularly in Finland as Artist-in-Residence. Both at home and abroad Ilse organizes art projects, such as exhibitions, exchange projects, networking events and workshops. She has been chairman of the exhibition committee and board member at Pulchri Studio (an artists' association with 1200 members).

Ilse van den Berk is an Material Science and Enginering Engineer MSc (Technology), BA Fine Art (Royal Acedemy of Art, The Hague - NL).

Artist Statement

In my work I'm searching for a new relation between man and nature.

In the painting emotionality and rationality come together harmoniously. During my winter trips in Finland I wander through compact, often (dark) needle forests. Suddenly, I found myself in the clear light of the bare birch forests. Or I muse on the edge of one of the many huge lakes in Finland. It are these experiences which brings me back to Finland. And it is It is this wondering about the purity of nature that I like to study in my paintings. Closer to home, I often found on the Dutch coast.



I translate nature in poetic and fragile paintings. They seem intuitively established, but are the result of an intensive search by formal means as line, color and field division.

Website Ilse van den Berk