Carmel Van Der Hoeven
Carmel Van Der Hoeven is a versatile artist who specialises in 2D works, including oil pastels and experimental pieces. With her current creative practice focusing predominantly on the figurative, she enjoys drawing on inspiration from within the everyday elements that she paints. Carmel’s approach to art is deeply personal and reflective, often focusing on the interplay of colours and forms while allowing her work to evolve organically.
Her journey into painting began after transitioning from earlier work in pottery, a shift prompted by a desire to escape the commercial pressures of the previous medium. For the past decade, painting has become Carmel’s primary creative focus. She views creativity not just as a personal outlet but as a reflection point through which to connect with the world.
“I think everyone’s creative. It’s just some people lean way more into it than others… It’s strange to think that people go days or weeks without making anything.”
Carmel values the role she can play in sparking a lifelong engagement with art, whether through inspiring others to create, or to appreciate art more deeply. For those hesitant about starting a creative adventure, she advises embracing creativity in all forms and rejecting the notion that it must be commercially driven or narrowly defined. Carmel’s work and philosophy reflect a commitment to exploring creativity in its many manifestations and encouraging others to do the same.
This artist, based in Pirongia, finds inspiration in the everyday and uses 2D mediums like oil pastels to explore the interplay of colour and form. For her, creativity is a deeply personal and reflective practice, offering both an outlet for self-expression and a means to connect with the world.