Gerda Elfring

Landscapes and animals are the main subjects in the paintings of Gerda Elfring (Haaften, 1956). With bold brushstrokes, a strong command of the brush, and vivid colors, she powerfully brings her subjects to life on canvas. Gerda Elfring paints with striking compositions and a unique palette, conveying her personal experience of reality. As a result, her compositions display a varied outcome: sometimes figurative and recognizable, other times strongly abstracted with an emphasis on depth of expression. Sketches and photos made in nature are developed in the studio, where colors are applied intuitively, with the sketch serving only as a guide. For Gerda, reality is a starting point for highly personal paintings. Toward the end of her studies at the Nieuwe Academie voor Beeldende Kunsten in Utrecht, Gerda focused primarily on painting tulips, followed by her first landscapes, influenced by the foundations of abstract expressionism. The sweeping gestures, her own color choices, and the bold handling of the brush characterize not only this movement but also the work of Gerda Elfring.