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. 166
Model, grey maroon accent
Reclining figure in grey, with a dark maroon accent across the midriff. The body is kept largely white and grey, with thick, pasty layers of paint picking up the texture of the paper. At the torso a compact burgundy plane breaks through the cool grey tones, flanked by small green and yellow accents at the leg. It is a sober, almost sculptural sheet, in which the maroon accent functions as the only warm interruption.
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No. 167
Model, orange scribbles reclining
Model lying face down, the head resting on one hand, the elbow stretched forward. Head, shoulders and chest are in the shadow of rust-brown orange, while the rest of the body is only indicated by a tangle of lines, in which details of the feet are visible. The loose, exuberant chalk lines around it give the composition a soft, almost cloud-like framing around the warm core of colour.
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No. 168
Model, sage grey hair
Leaning figure in sage tones, with grey hair and warm peach skin. The head is set down with solid grey-blue brushstrokes, while the torso is kept in a softer, greenish sage tone. Orange and rust-brown accents at the arms and legs bring warmth to the composition. The combination of the cool grey hair and the warm skin tones gives the figure a lively, almost autumnal palette.
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No. 169
Model, sienna linework abstract
Strongly abstracted reclining figures, warm sienna lines with a blue-red accent. A body is built from a dynamic network of ochre-brown lines running across the sheet like the legs and body of a running animal. At upper right, far removed from the rest, a small, intense blue and burgundy mark indicates a second, smaller element. The fluid, almost calligraphic linework gives the figures a strong sense of speed and movement.
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No. 170
Reclining model
Reclining model, the arms under the head, in blue and ochre lines, minimal colour. On the left a head is set down with a few touches of dark green, yellow and burgundy, connected by a thin ochre arm to a second, much sparser figure on the right, built almost entirely from blue pencil lines. A charcoal-like, ribbed structure at the bottom of the sheet suggests a chair or staircase. The sparse, almost calligraphic linework gives the whole an airy, sketch-like quality. In a few scribbles the feet are indicated.
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No. 171
Model, pink dynamic chalk
Dynamic reclining figure in pink and ochre, bright chalk lines. The body is built from warm ochre and ochre-brown planes, with a black contour line fixing the pose. Dense magenta chalk lines frame the figure in broad, energetic arcs, like a burst of movement around the warm core of colour.
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No. 172
Model, ochre scarf seated
Seated figure with an ochre scarf, pink chalk lines and dark hair. The face is unusually detailed, with green eyeshadow and red lips giving the figure a portrait-like presence. The torso is kept in a soft pink wash, with dense, crisscrossing pink chalk lines falling over the body like a scarf or shawl. The ochre background frames the figure with warmth.
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No. 173
Model, navy blue foot accent
Reclining figure in cream and olive, with a dark navy blue accent at hand and foot. The body is set down light and airy, with blue contour lines loosely holding the form together. At lower right the composition thickens into a dark, olive green and navy blue mass reading as a foot or shoe. A small red accent at the belly is the only other colour outside the predominantly cool, pale composition.
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No. 174
Model, delicate green lines
Delicate seated figure, green lines on a light, hazy ground. The face is carefully drawn with thin black lines, with a small red accent at the mouth. The body dissolves further into a haze of ochre-brown and green, with thin green pencil lines growing around the figure like grass or blades. The precision of the face contrasts with the fading, transparent rest of the sheet.
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No. 175
Model, yellow ochre abstract
A very abstract study in yellow and ochre chalk, the hair as a dark mark being the only figurative clue. Broad, circular arcs of yellow and orange chalk fill most of the sheet, while a compact, dark green and black paint mark at upper left forms the only concrete element. Thin purple lines cross through the composition. It is one of the most abstract sheets in the series, in which colour and gesture entirely take the place of the figure.
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No. 176
Model, yellow teal reclining
Reclining figures in yellow and cream, teal accents at the face. The body is set down light and airy in broken white, with a compact, dark blue-green plane marking the face. A vivid yellow accent at the leg breaks through the otherwise soft, pale palette. Brown contour lines accentuate arms and legs with quick, confident strokes. A very dynamic pose through the broad brushstrokes.
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No. 177
Model in green
Seated figure with a green torso. The head is set down in warm pink and brown tones, while a dramatic grey drape falls diagonally down from the shoulder. The green torso, partly accented with white highlights, gives the composition a fresh counterweight to the heavier grey fabric. Brown contour lines frame the seat and legs.
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No. 178
Model, ochre chalk reclining
Reclining figure, cream with dense ochre chalk outlines. The body is kept almost entirely in broken white and cream, framed by a dense network of ochre-yellow chalk lines lying around the form like a halo. At the head, on the left, a small green and blue accent gives the only vivid colour. At the bottom a compact, copper-coloured paint mark adds one last warm note. The abundance of chalk lines gives the sheet a soft, almost woolly texture.
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No. 179
Model, dancing pink
A dancing, dynamic figure with arm stretched out, pink and green tones. The upper body is painted compact and dark, the head turned to one side, while an arm stretches far to the right in a grey, almost transparent sweep. Below, the composition explodes into vivid green and red strokes swinging around the legs like a skirt or garment. The movement of the dance is palpable in the diagonal, fanning-out construction of the composition.
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No. 180
Two figures in olive green and orange
Two seated figures, in which bold lines indicate the contours of one of the women — the form of the other remains vague.
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No. 181
Two figures in conversation
Both figures are indicated with loose scribbles. An orange-brown mark on the right anchors the composition.
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No. 182
Dancing figures
Two dancing figures. The one on the right briefly shown with a recognisable face. The other in solid red and brown, whose spread legs complete the composition.
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No. 183
Model, green scribbles reclining
Reclining figure, cream with a warm red-brown accent and green chalk scribbles. The body is set down light and airy, with a compact, colourful head on the left where blue, pink and brown come together. Thin green chalk lines frame the rest of the figure in loose, fanning arcs reaching well beyond the body. The combination of the warm core and the cool, green framing gives the sheet a surprising balance.
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No. 184
Model, yellow hair blue line
Seated figure with yellow-blonde hair, blue and brown contour lines. The face is set down with a green accent at the mouth and warm brown tones. Blue pencil lines loosely frame the arms and torso, while a deep red paint mark at lower left adds one last colour accent. The combination of the vivid yellow hair and the cool blue lines gives the figure a fresh, almost electric colour scheme.
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No. 185
Two models
Seated figure with a baby or bundle in her arms, blue sash, a second figure faintly beside her. The woman is painted in warm, ochre-brown tones, with a red accent at the breast where the infant rests. A pale blue band runs diagonally across the torso. On the right, loosely sketched in the same warm tones, a second, smaller figure can be seen — perhaps a second child or a companion. It is one of the few works in the series with a clearly recognisable, intimate motherhood theme.
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No. 186
Two figures, blue lines
Model study, in which one figure is set down with a few bold lines. The other is sketched loosely, with an accent on a brown head of hair.
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No. 187
Model, olive dark contour
Reclining figure in cream and olive green, dark contour line, warm brown accent. The head is painted in warm ochre and red tones, while the body below dissolves into a haze of cream and soft green. A thick, dark green contour line encloses the torso and legs with decisive turns. The combination of the warm head and the cooler, green body gives the figure a subtle colour gradient from top to bottom.
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No. 188
Model, red yellow table
Seated figure in red and yellow, a green-drawn table or chair in the background. The body is painted in warm, orange-red tones, with a dark head of brown hair. Thin green lines draw a table or chair on the right, giving the figure spatial placement. Red accents at the hand and leg bring extra intensity to the composition. The warm palette and the presence of furniture give the sheet a domestic, everyday atmosphere.
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No. 189
Model, ochre red teal hair
Reclining figure in ochre and red, teal-green hair accent. The body is built from broad, diagonal planes in warm ochre-yellow and red, overlapping one another like layers of fabric or drapery. The head, at upper right, has a small teal-green accent in the hair that breaks through the composition as the only cool colour. The diagonal, layered construction gives the body a sense of movement and texture, more textile than skin.
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No. 190
Model study in mustard yellow
A few strokes in mustard yellow, with a blue accent on the left shoulder, face and torso give the figures form. A second figure is sketchily rendered behind it.
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No. 191
Model, olive navy abstract
Strongly abstracted reclining figure in olive green and navy blue, sienna contour. The body is built from broad, stippled planes of green and white, with a compact, dark mass in navy blue and ochre-brown reading as a bent limb. Thin sienna and blue lines loosely frame the composition. The stippled texture of the paint gives the sheet a grainy, almost snow-like surface.
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No. 192
Model, dark green warm
Seated figure, warm reddish-pink tones. The face is sketched with red and brown chalk lines, the eyes with a soft blue accent. A dense, dark green band falls vertically from the neck to the torso, like a scarf or tie. At the bottom a small red and black accent adds one last colour note. The combination of the warm face and the cool green band gives the figure a groomed, almost wintry character.
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No. 193
Two models, red mustard
A reclining figure in cream with red and mustard yellow, a second figure faintly sketched to the right. The body is outlined with a thick, orange-brown contour line, with a vivid red mark at the hip and a yellow plane at the centre. At upper right, in a thin green line, stands a second, much smaller and simpler figure — almost a shadow or memory of the first. The contrast in scale and density between the two figures gives the sheet a dreamlike, timeless quality.
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No. 194
Model, red navy dynamic
Dynamic, almost abstract composition in red and navy blue with olive green accents. At upper left a deep red, flower-like form open, connected by a long, winding sienna line to a compact, vivid red sweep at the centre of the sheet. Navy blue and olive green lines cross through the composition in angular, decisive turns. The combination of organic forms above and angular lines below gives the sheet a tension between growth and structure.
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No. 195
Model composition
Standing figure with dark teal hair. The head is painted compact in dark blue and brown, with a small red accent at the face. The deep, saturated green tones dominate the lower part of the composition and give the figure a solid, grounded presence.
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No. 196
Two models, complex composition
Two interlocking figures, warm ochre and red, a complex composition with dense linework. On the left stands a figure with dark, almost black hair and ochre-brown limbs, with pink accents at the torso. On the right a second figure intertwines with it, with dark blue and red details and a vivid red accent at the centre. It is one of the most densely built, most interwoven compositions in the series, in which the two bodies are almost impossible to separate.
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No. 197
Model, cobalt blue sienna face
Seated figure in grey and cobalt blue, warm sienna chalk lines around the face. The face is set down with green, blue and red accents against a grey ground, while an intense cobalt blue sleeve or garment covers the torso. Sienna chalk lines frame the face and shoulders in loose, warm strokes. The combination of the cool grey-blue and the warm sienna framing gives the figure a refined, balanced colour contrast.
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