Enkel Art Studio

Enkel Art Studio is a monoprinting studio based in the Netherlands formed of duo Marijn Vink and Esther Rozendal; two printmakers who enjoy playing with shape and colour. “For us there is value in craft(wo)manship and original and affordable art. That’s why we started our collaboration called Enkel Art Studio in 2020. Forget mass production. With us you find locally produced, one of a kind and handmade prints.”

Prior to the founding of Enkel Art Studio, Esther worked with different international development cooperation agencies on poverty issues, thus making the world a fair place is always something she has kept in mind in whatever she is doing. However, she discovered that her creative side was something she was taking for granted; “I realised I mostly used it for practical purposes, for example by making our house a home. But there is also power in creating, just for the sake of it. When I could take that to heart, my love for fashion, interior, colour and shape found an outlet in drawings, sketches and paintings.” These are the basis for some of the Enkel Art Studio monoprints that Esther started making with Marijn.

Marijn studied arts in Utrecht, and after graduating worked as a print and pattern designer for several interior brands.“I am fascinated by clashing colour combinations, patterns, and shapes. Making is in my blood. I love to explore new art techniques and can’t rest to make them my own. My brain is always exploding with new ideas,” comments the designer.

Marijn describes herself and Esther as “treasure hunters” with a “constant urge to collect inspirational images, shapes and colours”. Together they make monoprints and sell them worldwide, mostly online and through their monthly open studio days. Recently, they created their first bespoke collection of 6 prints for British designer Matthew Williamson, sold exclusively through his website.

Enkel means ‘only’ or ‘one’ in Dutch, echoing the ‘mono’ element in their creative process. Each print is made by hand and bares signs of their interaction with the materials of paper and acrylic paint. The duo create their prints in a dialogue with each other; the process is very intuitive and takes twists and turns. In an Enkel monoprint you may find a fingerprint or stray splash of paint, but it is these quirks that are the ‘third personality’ of their printing plate.

The inspiration for their works comes from the everyday things in their lives, such as thrift shopping, nature, and growing and cooking good food. They state; “We like to get out of our comfort zones as well, travel the world and meet different people, smells, shapes and shades. A spicy curry, an oversized 80s coat, and repainting our living room over and over again make us happy.”

Although making monoprints is currently the main way Esther and Marijn express their creativity, they don’t plan to limit their work to solely this medium. They have dreams of creating pattern and print designs for textiles and fashion, and in September of 2021 they will have their first solo exposition in the Hoxton Hotel in Amsterdam. The duo comment; “We both really love craftmanship from all over the world and sourcing unique and handmade items like fashion, interior items and jewellery. Who knows if we’ll do something with that too”.

Besides producing their prints, they also put a lot of love and energy into sourcing beautiful images online and curating them for their Instagram account. Esther and Marijn are working on producing more content to show potential customers how they can apply Enkel prints into their interior, for example by making gallery walls.

“Aren’t we all just always treasure hunting for amazing items to spice up our interior? Whether you are just getting started on your art collection, looking to make a vibrant statement or giving your interior a personal touch; our dream is to enable you to effortlessly add colourful, original and outspoken artworks to your space.”

“Every day I’m amazed that we can make beautiful things. It’s just the best to see that our handmade prints find a beautiful home,” concludes Esther.

www.enkelartstudio.com
@enkelartstudio

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