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. 128
Model, teal dots
Seated figure, the body outlined with a firm black contour line against a pale, hazy ground. Small, subtle dots of teal-green paint are scattered across the torso, like freckles or spots of light on the skin. A warm, orange chair leg on the right is the only vivid colour accent beside the restrained dots. The combination of the taut black line and the fine, sparing dots gives the figure a refined, almost delicate presence.
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No. 129
Model, olive-grey reclining
Reclining figure in olive-grey, with sienna contour lines binding the body together. The form is laid out broad and stretched across the sheet, with warm, rust-brown lines marking the contours of back and legs against a muted, grey-green wash. A small dark blue accent at lower left is the only cool detail. The horizontal, extended composition and the earthy palette give the figure a calm, almost landscape-like quality.
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No. 130
Model study with green accents
Two figures, light in tone, with a green accent on the lap and thin brown lines. The bodies are kept vague and transparent, with only the green mark and a few red chalk lines giving a concentration of colour. On the right stands a small, colourful detail in yellow, red and green — the feet. The restrained, almost vanishing figure leaves the attention mainly on the few bright colour accents.
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No. 131
Model, blue chair leg
Seated figure on a stool with a blue leg, a green accent on the torso. The body is sketched with thin, dark red lines against a pale, cream-coloured ground, with a small olive green mark at the stomach. At lower right, blue and black lines mark the legs of the stool on which the figure sits. The sober, almost monochrome palette of the figure itself contrasts with the bright colour accents of its surroundings.
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No. 132
Model, black chair green
Seated figure on a solid, black-painted chair, the body in varying shades of green — from fresh mint to dark olive. The face is set down with warm brown and red accents, with a small blue detail at the eye. The navy blue arms rest loosely on the armrests. The heavy, almost architectural chair dominates the lower half of the composition, while the figure seems to sit light and almost floating on top of it.
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No. 133
Model, sage and rust
Seated figure in sage tones, with rust-brown and ochre accents marking the arms and legs. The hair is dark navy blue, the hand resting against the head in a pensive gesture. The paint is applied thin and watercolour-like, the texture of the paper still visible through the pale, transparent layers. The combination of sage and rust gives the figure a muted, autumnal warmth.
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No. 134
Model, navy blue accent
Crouched or hunched figure, the torso filled with a bright yellow-green and olive plane forming the centre of the composition. At the bottom a compact, dark navy blue accent marks the pelvis or legs. Thin grey pencil lines loosely and sketchily frame the figure. The sharp contrast between the vivid yellow-green and the deep navy blue gives the composition a bold, graphic clarity.
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No. 135
Three models
The dark, olive green figure in the foreground, bent forward or crouching, with dense black brushstrokes making the form compact and heavy. At upper right, far removed and much hazier, a second figure is sketched in red and grey wash tones, almost dissolving into the background. The contrast between the dense, dark figure in the foreground and the faint, almost vanished figure behind it gives the sheet a strong sense of depth and distance.
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No. 136
Model, confetti colours
Seated figure with dark hair, the body left almost entirely uncoloured except at the arm, where an exuberant burst of small, vivid colour marks — blue, yellow, red, green — is scattered across the skin like confetti. A thin pink line loosely encircles the head and torso. The contrast between the bare, white figure and the exuberant splashes of colour gives the sheet a playful, almost festive energy.
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No. 137
Model, yellow-green dress
Seated figure with dark navy blue hair and a dress in fresh yellow-green, with a dark olive green sleeve on one side and a burgundy arm on the other. Orange contour lines indicate the shape of the dress. The asymmetrical colour division between the two sides of the body gives the figure a lively, almost unbalanced dynamism.
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No. 138
Model, green on chair
Seated figure with dark hair, the torso painted in fresh green and yellow against a pale background. The figure sits on a chair with solid brown legs, orange contour lines indicating the seat and backrest. The fresh green of the torso and the warm brown of the chair give the composition an earthy, natural colour balance.
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No. 139
Model in yellow/green
Seated figure with dark hair, the body kept in yellow/green and burnt sienna tones. Within these strokes, the contours of hips to shoulders are indicated in a few lines. The rest of the figure is sketched with thin, reddish-brown chalk lines against an otherwise open, white sheet.
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No. 140
Model, dark strokes
Seated figure on a wooden stool, the body in pale cream and beige tones with dense, dark olive-black brushstrokes fixing the arms and legs. The dark hair falls loosely over the forehead, with a small red accent at the mouth. The vivid, decisive black strokes against the otherwise soft, pale skin give the figure a graphic sharpness within an otherwise subtle composition.
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No. 141
Model, sienna outline reclining
Reclining figure, laid diagonally across the sheet, with a thin sienna outline binding the body together. Broad, green wash tones fill the torso, while warm ochre and sand-coloured marks at the head and feet round off the composition. The loose, transparent wash technique and the soft sienna line give the figure a fluid, almost landscape-like horizontality.
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No. 142
Model, mustard yellow abstract
Strongly abstracted reclining figure, the body painted largely in mustard yellow and held together by a thick black contour line winding in broad arcs across the sheet. Small pink accents at the head and hip break through the predominantly yellow palette. The vividness of the yellow and the graphic force of the black line make this one of the most colour-intense sheets in the series.
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No. 143
Model, green seated simple
Simply set-down seated figure, entirely in shades of green — from fresh yellow-green to deeper forest green. A dark contour line encloses the body with confident, unbroken strokes, while the legs stretch out to the right. A small blue accent at the knee is the only detail outside the green colour scheme. The sobriety and simplicity of the composition give the figure a calm, concentrated presence.
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No. 144
Model, sage pink surroundings
Seated figure, the body painted predominantly in sage and grey-green tones, surrounded by soft pink and mauve strokes lying like a haze around the form. Orange contour lines loosely sketch the outline of head and shoulders. The combination of the muted sage and the warm pink surroundings gives the composition a soft, almost sfumato-like transition between figure and background.
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No. 145
Two models, mauve and ochre
Two figures close together, the left one in soft mauve and pink, the right one in a bright yellow-green olive, both outlined with thin black contour lines. The two figures seem to lean toward each other, their shoulders almost touching. The colour contrast between the cool mauve and the warm ochre gives the composition a lively, dialogic tension.
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No. 146
Two models, grey silhouette
A head in grey silhouette, sketched at upper left with quick, dark lines, beside a second, much more developed figure built up in blue, teal and olive green. Orange and pale blue contour lines frame the second figure, while the first remains in shadow and anonymity. The contrast between the fleeting silhouette and the more richly worked figure gives the sheet a layered, almost narrative depth.
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No. 147
Model, olive face ochre lines
Standing figure with dark hair, the face and neck painted in olive green against a pale background. Dense, ochre-coloured contour lines enclose the shoulders and arms, while a brown hand rests at the hip. The combination of the cool olive green in the face and the warm ochre lines around the body gives the figure an intriguing temperature contrast between skin and outline.
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No. 148
Kneeling man in dark green and red
Kneeling figure with dark navy blue hair, with a red accent on the arm against a dark green torso beneath. The contour lines are loose and quickly drawn, with rust-brown chalk lines indicating arms and legs. The contrast between the vivid red of the drape and the deep, dark green of the torso gives the figure a rich, almost luxuriant colour depth.
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No. 149
Two models, maroon overlap
Two overlapping reclining figures, merged into a dense mass of deep red, burgundy and olive green. The contours of the two bodies are barely distinguishable from one another, with ochre and white planes suggesting the shape of arms and legs. The intense, saturated colours and the compact composition give the sheet a dramatic, almost entangled intensity.
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No. 150
Two models, silhouette and olive
A dark figure, painted almost entirely as a silhouette in black and brown, on the left of the sheet, beside a second, much more detailed figure on the right seated on a chair with orange legs, the body in fresh olive green. A third, smaller element in yellow indicates a third figure or object. The contrast between the flat silhouette and the more richly worked, green figure gives the sheet a strong compositional depth.
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No. 151
Model, bright green leg
Seated figure, the body painted predominantly in fresh, bright green with dark black accents at the shoulder and hip. A vivid yellow leg stands out sharply against the rest of the composition, as the only truly vivid colour accent. Thin black chalk lines loosely frame the figure. The combination of the fresh green and the bright yellow leg gives the figure a lively, almost electric energy.
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No. 152
Two models, red scribbles
Two figures on one sheet: on the left a figure in cool grey and ochre-brown tones, calmly set down; on the right a second figure in warm orange and olive green, surrounded by an exuberant fan of bright red chalk scribbles curling around the body like a halo. The contrast between the restrained figure on the left and the energetic, chalk-framed figure on the right gives the sheet a lively duality.
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No. 153
Model seated and standing
One figure with hand on hip, in a dynamic, self-assured pose, the other seated in plain orange-brown tones. The body is painted in warm orange and pink, with dense dark hair and a small blue accent within it. Green contour lines accentuate the other arm and a bag or object at the side. The open, assertive posture and the warm palette give the figure a lively, almost theatrical presence.
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No. 154
Model, magenta sparse
Very sparse, almost vanished reclining figure, built from thin pink and magenta chalk lines floating loosely across the sheet. A small dark blue and orange detail at lower left is the only concentration of colour. The rest of the composition consists almost entirely of air and chalk stroke — a figure more suggested than drawn.
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No. 155
Model, ochre contour reclining
Reclining figure, the head in olive green with a blue line running through it, the body built up almost entirely from thin, ochre-brown contour lines against an otherwise white sheet. Only a small grey plane at the torso and a purple detail at the foot break the predominantly linear, sparing composition. The sobriety of the colour leaves the emphasis entirely on the fluid, unbroken line of the body.
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No. 156
Model, sober sage
Sober seated figure, entirely in muted sage and olive green, with a single dark navy blue accent at the head. The arms are sketched with thin, dark lines running loosely down beside the body, one resting on a small yellow plane. The restrained, almost monochrome palette and the calm posture give the figure a meditative, inward-turned stillness.
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No. 157
Model, mauve olive leg
Reclining figure in mauve, with an olive green leg stretching diagonally across the sheet. A thick black contour line encloses the torso and head with decisive, unbroken strokes. Pink chalk lines loosely frame the composition. The contrast between the soft mauve of the torso and the fresh green of the outstretched leg gives the figure a lively, almost leaping dynamism.
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No. 158
Model, expressive charcoal
A very expressive, sketchy study in charcoal and pink chalk, little paint. Dense, energetic black lines scribble over one another in a tangle that barely suggests a body, with a single red and pink chalk line running loosely through it. The rough, untamed linework gives the sheet a raw, immediate energy — closer to a gesture than an observation.
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No. 159
Model, blue scribbles olive
Leaning figure in olive green, surrounded by blue pencil scribbles floating like a loose, electric haze around the body. The head and hair are set down in darker green and ochre, with a small red accent at the neck. The blue scribbles, extending well beyond the figure, give the composition an energetic, almost vibrating movement around the otherwise calm, green form.
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No. 160
Model, warm brown pink reclining
Reclining figure in warm brown and pink, with a striking blue hair accent above the head. The torso is tinted in soft salmon pink and peach, with a red band falling diagonally across the body. Rust-brown and ochre tones fill the rest of the figure, which stretches languidly across the sheet. The combination of the cool blue in the hair and the predominantly warm body colours gives the figure a subtle, refined temperature contrast.
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No. 161
Model, pastel abstract
A strongly abstracted composition in soft pastel green and pink, in which a figure is barely recognisable. Vague, dark shapes suggest a head and a torso, while olive green and blue marks fill the rest of the sheet. A small rosy detail at lower left is one of the few concentrations of more vivid colour. The faded, soft transitions between the colours give the composition a dreamlike, almost hazy quality.
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No. 162
Model, second study red chalk lines
A seated pose similar to earlier studies, surrounded by dense pink-red chalk lines curling around the figure like a web. The body itself is indicated with only a few green and brown brushstrokes — an arm, a shoulder — while the rest of the form is carried by the chalk lines themselves. It is a repetition and variation on an earlier pose, this time with emphasis on the dense, energetic web of lines around it.
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No. 163
Model in yellow/green
Seated figure with a yellow-green head of hair, small orange and red accents glinting through it. The body itself remains largely white and open, with thin pencil and brush lines loosely indicating the form. At the bottom a warm ochre-coloured mark adds one last colour accent. The combination of the vivid yellow-green above and the cool teal top gives the figure a fresh, almost seasonal clarity.
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No. 164
Model, seated, elbows on knees
The hands are folded behind the neck and the elbows rest on the knees. The torso is painted in cool green tones, with a dark blue accent at the neck. Below, warm brown tones indicate the thigh and knee, in sharp contrast to the cool green of the shoulder.
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No. 165
Model, deep red second study
Another study in deep red, with a yellow-green head of hair standing out vividly against the warm, burgundy-red dress. The sleeve is painted in olive green and gold, with blue pencil lines loosely framing the rest of the form. The combination of the vivid yellow-green hair and the deep, saturated red of the dress gives the figure a rich, almost festive colour intensity — a second, warmer variation on an earlier pose.
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