Annelies van Dommelen

"I let it drip and I do energetic swashes of color. Things start to happen and to come out as I go along and I start to lay things in. I find things in the paint and make them visible to the world. For me, painting is unexplained accidents waiting to be recognized."
-Annelies van Dommelen

Born in America to Dutch parents, Annelies Van Dommelen is a prolific artist who is always exploring new forms of expression, working in oils, watercolors, stone lithography, etching, paper making, collography, monotype, linoleum, and charcoal. Her subjects are personal and symbolic.

Van Dommelen's original medium was watercolor, but now she primarily works with a vivid oil palette, translating highly personal, emotional, and psychological experiences into tightly integrated statements that almost always have a surreal quality. Her varied use of thick and thin paint adds textural interest, while the play of vibrant colors against rich, deep, tones keeps the eye moving from one symbolic element to another. After being diagnosed with breast cancer, her work became even more personal. About her work, she says "my paintings incorporate recognizable symbols and personal Allegories."

Education and Training
Mercer County Community College, Trenton, New Jersey, 1970-1972
Montclair State College, Montclair, New Jersey, 1972, 1973
Hussian School of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1976, 1977
Painting workshop with Vincent Ceglia, Italy, 1983
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1989-1991, 1994, 1995, 1996
Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, Vermont, 1992
Center for Book Arts, New York City, New York, 1998

Teachers and Influences
Maheal Mazur, Francis Bacon, Leanord Basher, Sidney Goodman, Seline Trieff, Clarence Carter

Connection to Bucks County
Annelies van Dommelen was born in Washington Crossing, Bucks County. She moved to Lambertville, New Jersey in 1981.

Colleagues and Affiliations
Bill Osler, Kim Kurik, Susan Roseman, James Feehan, Robert Beck, Edie Sharp, Cris Snyder, Paul Matthews, Vincent Ceglia, Pat Martin.
Member, Artsbridge, Lambertville, New Jersey

Teaching and Professional Appointments
Adjunct Professor, The College of New Jersey, 1997
Artists in Schools, Hunterdon County High School, 1998

Major Awards
Jurors Mention Award, Hopkins House Gallery 22nd National, 1996
Third Place, Artsbridge, 1995
Bob Barth Award, Artsbridge, 1997
Second Place, River Run, 1993
Honorable Mention, Phillips' Mill Annual Show, 1984
Watercolor Award, Phillips' Mill Annual Show, 1992
Watercolor Award, Phillips' Mill Annual Show, 1993
14th Annual Monmouth County Artist Community (MCAC) Award, Monmouth Museum, 1993

Affiliations and Memberships
Printmaking Council of New Jersey
Philadelphia Print Club, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Laceworks Artists Cooperative, Lambertville, New Jersey
Princeton Art Association, Princeton, New Jersey
Trenton Artists Workshop Association, Trenton, New Jersey
River Center For the Arts, New Hope, Pennsylvania
Drawing Center, Soho, New York City, New York
Philadelphia Watercolor Club, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Major Solo Exhibitions
Triumph Brewery, Princeton, New Jersey, 1998
Artists Gallery, 1997
UJB Financial, Carnegie Center, Lawrenceville, New Jersey, 1995
North Star Bar, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1994
Philadelphia Bulletin, Lobby, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1980

Major Group Exhibitions
The Woodmere Art Museum, Chesnut Hill, Pennsylvania, 1976, 1981, 1995, 1996
Phillips' Mill Annual Art Exhibitions, New Hope, Pennsylvania, 1979, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998
Gallery 100, Princeton, New Jersey, 1979, 1980, 1981,1982
Mercer County Alumni, West Winsor, New Jersey, 1980, 1983, 1991
Wadworth Gallery, Bryn Mawr and King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, 1982-1983
Animated Paper, Rosenfeld Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1988
Larsen-Dulman Gallery, New Hope, Pennsylvania, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991,1992,1993
Monmouth Museum, Ocean County, New Jersey, Philadelphia Watercolor Club, The Woodmere Art Museum, Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania, 1992
Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,1993
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Fellowship Exhibition, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1994, 1996
Riverbank Arts, Stockton, New Jersey, 1998
Artists Gallery, Lambertville, New Jersey, 1996-1998