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. 198
Two models, sketch and paint
A painted abstract figure beside a second, drawn in a clear black contour line. On the left a dense, grey and ochre cloud of paint fills most of the sheet, with a small, olive green sketched face peeking out from beneath it. On the right stands a completely different approach: a seated figure, pensive with hand against chin, entirely in a taut black line drawing without colour. The contrast between the two techniques — painted and drawn — within a single session shows how varied Henk van Dam's approach can be from one moment to the next.
Contact
No. 199
Model study, intense red chalk lines
Reclining figure, intense red chalk lines over a warm tan ground. The head, with dark hair, is sketched with quick black lines, while the body is largely carried by the vivid red chalk strokes running in broad, undulating arcs across the sheet. A second, smaller head on the right, in orange and dark blue, perhaps suggests a second figure in the background. The other is sketched with a more developed face. The intensity of the red against the warm ochre gives the sheet a glowing, almost feverish energy.
Contact
No. 200
Model, dancing kick
Dancing figure in a kicking step, sienna and cream tones. The head, with dark hair, is sketched compactly at the top, while the body stretches out in a dynamic, forward-kicking motion. Warm, reddish-brown and sienna strokes build up the lower body, with green chalk accents at the foot and hip. The loose, energetic linework and the warm palette capture the speed of the movement.
Contact
No. 201
Model, sienna sketch colourful head
Reclining figure, dense sienna chalk sketch with a colourfully worked-out head. The body is carried almost entirely by a dense web of reddish-brown chalk lines, while the head at upper right is surprisingly colourful: blue, orange, green and white come together in a small, concentrated plane. The rich, almost embroidered texture of the chalk lines contrasts with the vividness of the painted head.
Contact
No. 202
Three models, maroon olive
Three figures side by side in maroon, olive and pink, black contour lines. On the left a figure in a deep red, almost burgundy dress with a striking red head of hair; in the middle a figure with ochre and purple planes and a black line drawing framing the torso; on the right a third, calmer figure in broken white and pink. The three figures share the same sheet without overlapping, like a row of portraits sketched one after another.
Contact
No. 203
Model, sienna pink chalk reclining
Reclining figure in sienna, pink chalk lines and a dark head accent. The body lies stretched diagonally in warm ochre-brown tones, with a compact, dark blue-black head on the left. On the right the composition becomes sparser, with only a black line drawing and thin pink chalk strokes suggesting the rest of the body. The transition from densely painted to almost empty gives the sheet a gradual, fading movement.
Contact
No. 204
Model, warm skin orange contour
Seated figure with warm skin tones, orange contour line and green chalk scribbles. The face and torso are painted in soft brown tones, with a blue accent at the eye. A thick, ochre contour line encloses the arms and legs, while green chalk scribbles grow around the figure like climbing lines. The warmth of the skin and the freshness of the green scribbles give the sheet a lively, almost garden-like feel.
Contact
No. 205
Model, teal chalk dominant
Kneeling figure, predominantly built up from blue and green chalk scribbles. The head is set down with a compact, dark blue paint mark and black lines, with a small red accent at the mouth. The body below consists almost entirely of a dense web of blue and green chalk lines, without clear planes of paint. It is one of the most linear, transparent sheets in the series, in which colour is built up entirely through line rather than plane.
Contact
No. 206
Model, olive gold reclining
Reclining figure in olive green and gold, orange chalk lines around it. The head, at the top, is surrounded by dark green and black leaf-like shapes, with a small red accent at the mouth. The body itself stretches out in a rich mix of golden yellow and bright blue, like a wave rolling across the sheet. Dense ochre chalk lines frame the whole composition in loose, circular arcs, giving it a lush, almost tropical atmosphere.
Contact
No. 207
Model, yellow olive leaning
Leaning figure in yellow and olive green, orange chalk lines. The head is set down with a thick, black lock of hair and warm ochre and brown tones, with a small red accent at the neck. The torso consists of broad, olive green and yellow planes falling diagonally along the body. Thin orange chalk lines loosely frame the figure, like a web that never fully closes.
Contact
No. 208
Model, orange chalk maroon
Reclining figure, predominantly orange chalk lines with a maroon accent. The body is carried almost entirely by dense orange chalk strokes rippling across the sheet from left to right, with a small, dark head at upper right. A compact, deep red and burgundy paint mark at the midriff forms the only painted element. The dominance of the orange chalk gives the sheet a warm, glowing evenness.
Contact
No. 209
Two models, brown and olive face
A dark brown seated figure beside a second, loosely sketched face in olive-ochre. On the left the first figure sits hunched, the body painted in dark brown, blue and purple, with dense, colourful planes at the midriff. On the right, in a completely different style, a second face is sketched with a few simple olive green and grey lines, with red lips and a thin blue outline. The contrast between the dense, painted figure and the sparse, drawn face gives the sheet two very different registers within a single session.
Contact
No. 210
Model, bent forward sienna chalk
Figure bent forward, cream with dense sienna chalk outlines and a blue foot accent. The head, on the left, is set down with dark, colourful paint touches, while the body stretches out to the right in a long, curving arc, carried by a dense web of reddish-brown chalk lines. A vivid blue foot accent at the bottom breaks through the otherwise warm, earthy palette. On the right, bent over the back, a second figure, accented in green and yellow, gives the composition a second point of gravity.
Contact
No. 211
Two models, dark and ochre yellow
A dark, richly contoured figure beside a second, ochre-yellow figure in the background. On the left the first figure bends forward, the face surrounded by dark lines and dense red chalk scribbles. On the right stands a second, much smoother figure in warm ochre-yellow, with a thin blue-black contour line delineating the form. The contrast between the expressive, fragmented left figure and the calm, even right figure gives the sheet two very different moods.
Contact
No. 212
Two models, colourful face
A colourfully worked-out face with orange contour, a second pale figure sketched beside it. The face on the left is strikingly detailed: dark blue hair, red lips, a green accent at the neck, all framed by a thin orange line. On the right stands a much vaguer, paler second figure reaching an arm around the first. The richness of the left face against the vagueness of the second figure gives the sheet an intimate, almost narrative character.
Contact
No. 213
Model study, blue-grey minimal
A very restrained reclining figure in pale blue-grey, with a single red chalk accent. The whole body is kept in a cool, transparent blue-grey wash, with a dark navy blue contour line fixing the form. Of the other, a chest and a protruding elbow are indicated with a single line, with an accent in the elaborated face. The chill of the blue-grey and the single red accent give the sheet a quiet, almost wintry restraint.
Contact
No. 214
Two models, close together
Two closely placed figures, olive, blue and pink merged together. On the left a profile face with blue chalk lines and a green accent at the hair; on the right a second, painted in warm ochre and olive-yellow, with thin black lines indicating the torso and chest. The two figures partly overlap, with pink and red accents running between the two bodies. The closeness of the two figures and the interwoven palette give the sheet an intimate, entangled composition.
Contact
No. 215
Model, red-brown teal contour
Leaning figure in warm red-brown, dark teal-green contour line. The head is turned to the side, the mouth set down with a red touch, while the body is built up in dense reddish-brown paint layers. A dark, blue-green contour line encloses the arms and torso with decisive, undulating turns. The combination of the warm, earthy body and the cool, dark contour gives the figure a tense, almost arched dynamism.
Contact
No. 216
Two models, ochre and pink yellow
An ochre-coloured seated figure beside a second, abstract pink-yellow form. On the left the first figure sits with blue hair and a blue-green line running over the shoulder, the body kept in warm ochre. On the right a second figure dissolves largely into a haze of yellow and pink, with only a thin black line drawing indicating the profile. The contrast between the compact, earthy left figure and the fluid, colourful right figure gives the sheet two very different textures.
Contact
No. 217
Model, deep maroon olive leg
Reclining figure with a deep maroon torso and an olive green accented leg. The body lies diagonally across the sheet, the torso built up in dense dark red paint layers, with a small face at upper right in warm skin tones. A vivid olive green leg stands out sharply against the deep red of the torso. The intensity of the maroon and the green gives the sheet a rich, saturated colour depth.
Contact
No. 218
Model, colour blocks reclining
A reclining model rests on one elbow, the head sketched loosely with a few brushstrokes of hair and a summary face. The torso is built from broad blocks of colour: deep red and ochre-brown dominate, with a flat panel of navy blue and a touch of yellow-green worked in, like a checked pattern indicated with a free hand. Blue chalk circles the form and re-traces the contours of leg and body, letting sketch and paint run into one another. The background stays bare white paper, making the warm blocks of colour glow all the more.
Contact
No. 219
Model, pink green elegant
An almost dissolved figure, set down in hazy tones of pink with a single elegant green line binding shoulder, arm and head in one flowing gesture. Below, where the body meets the ground, ochre and dark green thicken into a small, bent bundle of paint that could be a hand or a knee. The rest of the sheet is little more than a haze of colour, scraped and rubbed to a mist, with thin blue chalk lines drifting through it like the memory of a pose. The result reads less as a portrait than as a gesture, held only for a moment.
Contact
No. 220
Model, ochre sage blue line
A model tilts the head gently downward, the red-blonde hair set with a few bold strokes of chalk against a torso built up in warm ochre. Blue-green contour lines, which indicate a second figure, sage-like in colour, describe shoulder and arm, giving the form structure amid the loose brushwork. Lower down the figure dissolves into a haze of pink and beige, where the brush has run almost dry across the paper. The face stays summary — a few lines are enough to suggest a downward gaze, inward and concentrated.
Contact
No. 221
Two models, pink grey side by side
Two models share the sheet: on the left a seated figure wrapped in a fan of pink, ochre-yellow and olive green, one hand holding or touching something. To the right, separate from her, a second figure crouches in cool grey tones, more compact and set down with firm black contour lines, as if capturing an entirely different pose from the same moment. The two forms side by side create a dialogue between warm and cool, between flowing and compressed, without forcing a narrative.
Contact
No. 222
Three models, green grey maroon
Three figures merged together, green, grey-blue and maroon. On the left a figure with green hair in soft pink and purple washes; in the middle a larger, grey-blue figure with a red and brown accented face; on the right, separate from the other two, a small brown head sketched with blue chalk curls around it. The three different approaches — painted, grey and drawn — give the sheet a layered, almost gathered composition.
Contact
No. 223
Model, dark green blue seated
Seated figure, dark green and blue, warm tan background with a hazy figure at upper left. The head, with ochre-yellow and grey hair, is accented with a red mouth, while the torso is set down in dark green and bright blue. The background, in a warm sand colour, carries at upper left a loose, almost vanished second figure in thin blue lines. The contrast between the solid, painted figure and the hazy background sketch gives the sheet two layers of presence.
Contact
No. 224
Model, festive colours
Reclining figure in bright, festive colours: red, yellow and green merged together. The body is built from broad, warm planes layered over one another like a patchwork, with a small, dark head with brown hair on the right. A single blue line accentuates a foot. The exuberance and saturation of the colours give the sheet a joyful, almost carnival-like energy.
Contact
No. 225
Two models, grey-green and red
A grey-green figure in the foreground, a second in red and olive beside it. On the left a large, grey mass with dark accents dominates, while on the right a vivid red and olive green figure is outlined with a thin blue contour line. A small, blue-sketched face at the top seems to belong to neither figure. The clash of the cool grey mass and the warm red-green figure gives the composition a dramatic tension.
Contact
No. 226
Model, mauve olive head
Reclining figure in mauve and cream, with an olive green accented head. The body lies stretched diagonally in pale, creamy tones, with a deep purple drape falling across the torso. The head, on the left, is set down in olive green with a small red accent at the eye. Ochre contour lines frame the composition in decisive, angular turns. The combination of the soft mauve and the earthy olive green gives the figure a serene, inward-turned calm.
Contact
No. 227
Two models, rust brown and teal
A pale pink figure against a rust-brown background, a second figure in dark teal beside it. The body is painted in pale, transparent pink and white tones, with a thin dark blue contour line fixing the torso and outstretched leg. The background, in deep red and rust-brown tones, gives the figure a warm frame. On the right, the contours of another body are visible as a second presence at the edge of the sheet.
Contact
No. 228
Two models in green and blue wash
Reclining, bending figures in green wash tones, a clear black contour, blue hair accent. The body is framed by a taut black line, filled with transparent layers of green and yellow-green. The head, at upper right, has a striking blue and red hair accent. The clear line and the washy, translucent colour give the figure a fresh, almost watercolour-like clarity.
Contact
No. 229
Model, coral navy reclining
Reclining figure in warm coral red, dark navy blue contour line. The body is built up with thick, coral-coloured paint strokes, with a small, dark brown head on the left. A taut navy blue line frames the torso and legs with decisive, unbroken strokes. The vividness of the coral red against the cool, dark line gives the sheet an intense, almost glowing colour contrast.
Contact
No. 230
Model, grey-brown pink wall
Seated figure in grey-brown, painted against a warm pink wall. The body is built up with a dense, even grey-brown layer of paint, framed by a black contour line fixing the seated pose with confident angles. A deep red lip accent and a blue necklace break through the otherwise monochrome figure. The warm pink background gives the cool grey tone of the figure a soft, glowing counterweight.
Contact
No. 231
Model, sage maroon chalk
Leaning figure in sage, with maroon chalk lines surrounding the composition. The body is painted in a soft, yellow-green sage tone, with a small red accent at the chest. Dense, burgundy chalk strokes frame the figure on either side, like a vague, hazy setting. The combination of the fresh sage tone and the deep chalk framing gives the sheet a soft, almost sheltered atmosphere.
Contact
No. 232
Two models, blue sketch dark
A blue-sketched figure beside a second, dark and expressively worked-out figure. On the left stands a figure drawn entirely in thin, pale blue pencil lines, without any colour. On the right a much denser, dark figure dominates, with black brushstrokes building up head, arms and torso against a yellow-ochre plane. The contrast between the sparse, blue sketch and the heavy, dark figure gives the sheet a strong polarity.
Contact
No. 233
Model, brown field dark hair
Seated figure against a warm dark brown field, dark hair, olive green accent. The face, with blonde and dark brown hair, is painted with red lips and a blue accent at the ear. The body, in pale, creamy tones, is surrounded by thick, branch-like brown lines growing around the figures like a nest or shelter. The warmth of the brown field gives the composition a sheltered, almost protected atmosphere. In the shadow on the left, a second figure is visible.
Contact
No. 234
Model, arm raised maroon
Figure with arm stretched upward, pink and deep maroon tones. The arm and head are set down with soft pink brushstrokes, while the torso is worked out in a deeper, almost wine-red maroon. A grey-blue hand, with small green and yellow accents, hangs loosely down. The combination of the pale pink top and the heavy, dark red torso gives the figure a dramatic gradient from light to dark.
Contact
No. 235
Two models, teal and purple
A teal-coloured sketched figure beside a second, painted in purple and cream. At the top stands a figure sketched almost entirely in thin green and blue lines, with a small red accent at the mouth. Below dominates a second, more densely painted figure in soft mauve and cream tones, with a striking yellow-green accent at the shoulder. The two very different techniques — sketch versus paint — give the sheet a layered construction.
Contact
No. 236
Three models in grey green
Another composition with grey-green figures and a third in warm reddish-brown. On the left stands a figure kept almost entirely in grey-green, the face indicated with a few dark lines. In the middle and on the right unfolds a denser, more elaborated figure with red lips and warm, winding reddish-brown lines fixing arms and torso. A third, smaller figure with red hair is added at upper right. The layered build-up of multiple figures gives the sheet a complex, narrative density.
Contact
No. 237
Model, blue chalk dynamic leg
Reclining figure in pale olive, with dynamic blue chalk around an outstretched leg. The body is kept in a pale yellow-green wash, with a black contour line fixing the outstretched arms and head. Around the lower body and leg swarms a dense cloud of blue chalk lines, with a small red accent at the arm. The dynamic, fanning-out chalk structure gives the figure a sense of energy and extension.
Contact
No. 238
Model, orange olive blue chalk
A reclining figure. To the right the composition shifts into a deeper olive green field, with a navy patch and small ochre-brown arms or legs emerging beneath it. Blue chalk draws playful, almost childlike outlines through it all, loosely holding the form together without ever pinning it down. The whole reads as a figure half sunk into cloth and cushions, warm and informal.
Contact
No. 239
Model, dark green contour cream
Barely more than a flowing green line describes a reclining figure here against a hazy, cream-coloured ground. The line winds from a head at upper left, through an arm and torso, to legs that trail off to the right into a mist of pink and beige brushstrokes. Only here and there does colour briefly settle, in a faint ochre-brown patch at the bottom where a foot or chair leg might be read. It is a drawing that nearly disappears into the white of the paper, and precisely because of that draws attention to the sweep of the line itself.
Contact
No. 240
Two models, olive grey standing
Two figures share this sheet: on the left a model sits with her back half-turned, in earthy tones of brown, olive green and a patch of deep red, head tilted upward. On the right a second model stands upright, nude and grey in tone, with red-blonde hair and a taut black contour line that fixes torso and legs. The two poses — one compressed and seated, the other upright and standing — are kept side by side just as they were observed in sequence, without one painted over the other.
Contact
No. 241
Two models, yellow-green red drapery
A model leans forward, the hair set loosely in yellow-green tones, the lips accented in bright red. A deep red, almost draped cloth falls in broad bands across the torso, cut through by strokes of olive green. To the right, smaller and more faintly sketched in brown and a haze of pink, a second figure appears, as if the model is leaning toward someone or reaching to hand something over. Blue chalk sketches a third, almost invisible presence in the background, turning the drawing into a moment shared between people rather than an isolated pose.
Contact