Portfolio
Works for inspiration
An overview of work by Henk van Dam for inspiration — no longer for sale, but an impression of his style, subjects and development over time. Click on a work to enlarge it, or ask for more information via the CONTACT button.
No. 71
Model, powerful mauve
Kneeling, the torso raised and resting on the elbows, with a dark navy contour line for the head and hair. The body itself is built from a dense, textured layer of mauve and purple, with ochre and golden strokes lying around the figure like a glow. The paint is applied thick and rough, with brush marks clearly visible. The power of the mauve dominates the composition so strongly that the pose itself becomes secondary to the intensity of the colour.
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No. 72
Model, strongly abstracted ochre
A very strongly abstracted composition in ochre and brown, in which barely a figure can still be recognised. On the left stands a dense, angular patch of olive green and ochre-brown, connected by a thin, winding line to a smaller, darker patch on the right in navy blue and white. The form is reduced so far to pure gesture that the sheet could equally be read as a landscape or an abstract colour study.
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No. 73
Model, arm raised thin line
Seated figure, built from thin, pale blue contour lines, with one arm raised high above the head. Around the lower body winds a dense net of olive green and yellow lines, like climbing plants or a web enclosing the legs. The face is indicated with a few soft blue strokes. The sparse, transparent linework stands in sharp contrast to the density of the green play of lines below.
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No. 74
Model, teal reclining
Reclining figure, built almost entirely from thin, transparent teal-blue contour lines against an otherwise empty, white ground. On the right a small, compact detail in navy blue and red holds the only concentration of colour, perhaps a head or a hand. The rest of the figure remains sparse and almost invisible, with only a haze of green at the bottom of the sheet.
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No. 75
Two models, grey and sienna
Two figures on one sheet: a standing figure in grey-white with dense, dark olive green and black vertical lines across the body, and a second, much smaller and more loosely sketched figure on the right in sienna and orange-brown lines. A deep purple-navy block marks the torso of the first figure. The two studies share the paper without merging into one another — two different approaches within the same session.
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No. 76
Model, blue contour mauve
Seated figure, with a clear blue contour line outlining shoulders and arms. The torso is filled with a soft mauve and pink wash, with a small red accent at the mouth and green dots as earrings. Green and olive-coloured strokes in the background suggest a chair or piece of furniture. The combination of the crisp blue line and the soft mauve planes gives the figure an elegant, almost graceful presence.
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No. 77
Model
Reclining figure, the front one in a warm, cream-coloured and ochre tone, the second — with a clearly visible face — sketched at upper right with thin, dark green and navy blue contour lines. A small red accent marks the mouth of the second figure. The figure shares the same reclining, relaxed pose, like a double exposure of the same moment.
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No. 78
Model, pink planes
Strongly abstracted composition in pink and salmon tones, with a compact dark blue accent at lower right framed by thin green lines. An orange, wood-like line cuts diagonally through the bottom of the sheet. The pink planes at the top are laid down broadly and flatly, without clear contours, while the smaller elements below are more detailed and compact — a composition of contrasts in scale and density.
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No. 79
Model, knees drawn up
Seated figure with knees drawn up, the body painted in restrained grey-green tones. A dark, almost black contour line encloses shoulders and arms, while thin teal-green lines float around the figure like loose scribbles. The hands rest loosely on the knee. The sober palette and the closed, inward-turned pose give the sheet a restrained, calm atmosphere.
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No. 80
Model with knees drawn up
Seated figure against a pale, cream-coloured ground, the head set down in dark green and purple. A thin mauve line runs around the neck and shoulders, while at the bottom a deep red, almost burgundy sash or cloth falls diagonally across the body. The combination of the pale background and the intense red band gives the composition a dramatic, almost theatrical effect.
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No. 81
Model, fresh green
Seated figure, painted almost entirely in fresh, bright green watercolour, with thin pencil lines running through and over the colour. The face is indicated with a few soft, dark lines, the gaze directed downward. The loose, transparent wash and the visible underlying sketch give the sheet an airy, almost unfinished quality — fresh and direct, with little further working.
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No. 82
Model, magenta and teal
Reclining figure, built from broad, bold strokes of magenta and teal crossing and overlapping one another. An olive green accent at the arm and a muted brown line at the top bring extra texture to the composition. The vividness and breadth of the brushstrokes make this one of the most expressive, most colourful sheets in the series, with little attention to anatomical detail.
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No. 83
Model, mottled pattern
Standing figure with an unusually mottled, burgundy pattern across the lower body, against a pale, cream-coloured background. The head and shoulders are set down with thin, dark lines, while the torso dissolves into a haze of yellow and ochre. The mottled pattern reads almost like a textile print or a skin condition, giving the figure an unusual, tactile presence.
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No. 84
Model, dark teal reclining
Dynamic figure in dramatic dark teal and navy blue, the legs in a decisive, forward stride. Pale, almost white planes break through the dark blue like glints of light on fabric. A small warm accent at the arm is the only interruption to the otherwise cool, intense palette. The vivid, streaked brushwork gives the figure a sense of speed and motion.
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No. 85
Model, walking
Figure in warm, deep red and ochre-brown tones, densely packed with little room around the form. At upper right stands a compact, dark blue-purple accent, with a thin green vertical line beside it. The composition is dense and compressed, the warm colours seeming almost to radiate off the sheet — an intense, almost claustrophobic study.
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No. 86
Model, warm red-ochre close-up
A warm close-up in deep red and reddish-brown, with a small ochre-coloured edge at the top forming the only lighter tone. On the right a compact dark blue accent marks the shoulder or hair, with a bright green vertical stripe beside it as the only cool note. The dense, intense palette and the absence of clear contours make this one of the most sensuously painted sheets in the series.
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No. 87
Model, dripping cream
Reclining figure, painted in warm cream and ochre tones, with clearly visible drips running vertically down the bottom of the sheet. The head, with dark hair and a warm skin tone, is worked out with slightly more precision than the rest of the body. A small blue accent at the midriff breaks through the otherwise warm palette. The dripping paint gives the sheet a sense of fluidity, as if the figure is literally melting into the paper.
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No. 88
Model, geometric head
Seated figure, the head framed by an angular, almost geometric line structure floating like an imaginary plane behind the face. The torso is painted in warm sienna and ochre tones, with a vivid blue accent at the hip. The combination of the organic, painted torso and the taut, architectural lines around the head gives the figure an intriguing tension between construction and observation.
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No. 89
Man and woman
Strongly abstracted composition in grey-blue tones, with a curved orange line winding through the sheet like a branch or an arm. At lower left a small, detailed hand appears in red and white, with a dark blue accent beside it. The rest of the figures remain largely vague and undefined, the emphasis falling on texture and gesture rather than a recognisable pose.
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No. 90
Two models, gold and burgundy
Two figures on one sheet: a standing, pale figure in cream and ochre-orange on the left, and a second, more exuberantly worked figure on the right in gold and deep red, burgundy tones. A compact navy blue plane marks the midriff of the second figure. The two studies contrast strongly in density — one sparse and open, the other rich and saturated with colour.
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No. 91
Model, dark blue accent
Reclining figure, painted predominantly in creamy white, with a compact, dark blue plane at the hip forming the only truly dark note in the composition. A thin red line runs up along the torso, while the face is set down in dark, sombre tones. The combination of the light, airy torso and the heavy blue accent gives the figure a surprising weight concentrated at a single point in the composition.
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No. 92
Model study, red scribbles
Standing figures, painted largely in pale, cream-coloured tones, the face in warm ochre and olive. At upper left and scattered across the sheet, bright red chalk scribbles have been applied, seeming to float free of the figures like sparks or spatters. The red scribbles give an otherwise calm, restrained sheet an unexpectedly energetic, almost turbulent note.
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No. 93
Model, yellow hair
Seated figure with bright yellow hair, the body built from thick, dark green and olive-coloured lines. A small red accent marks the mouth. The chair the figure sits on is suggested by two solid orange legs, while a blue accent at the midriff indicates a skirt or garment. The vivid, complementary colours of yellow and green give the figure a lively, almost cheerful presence.
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