SOPHIE CROSSART

Sophie Crossart is a Dutch representational artist whose work is rooted in close observation of the natural world.

Working directly from life, she creates watercolour paintings on paper and vellum, often focusing on individual flowers, seed heads and seasonal growth. Rather than documenting her subjects, she seeks to translate her encounters into images that feel both present and remembered.

Vellum has become a defining material within her practice. Drawn to its translucency, individuality and rich history, she works with remnants of calfskin and goatskin vellum and vellum panels she prepares herself. The unique character of each piece plays an active role in the development of the work: each painting begins with a material that already carries its own presence.

Because vellum is smooth and largely non-absorbent, colour is built gradually through many layers of carefully applied brushstrokes. This slow process allows the material to remain visible beneath the image and contributes to the depth, luminosity and distinctive velvety quality of the finished work.

Alongside her botanical paintings, Sophie creates intimate still lifes in oil on panel. Across both disciplines, she is interested in sustained looking, material presence and the transformation of ordinary subjects into images that invite closer attention.