Soul. And I

Rombout Oomen

’Soul. And I’

The works of dutch artist Rombout Oomen may vary visually, the context and story of his images are always about his individual interests and personal view on depicting sociological, social and natural phenomena. Rombout’s works are basically visual storytelling. Stories inspired on our current society, but interpreted into a personal universe and realm. His works are bright and colourful with a clear extravert energy. They are individualistic pictures of how, according to him, the world at large and his inner world go around.

Rombout is trained in a Dutch manner, but the visual language is clearly northern European and contemporary expressionistic. Visually, the paintings are strongly inspired by several periods he lived in Germany. Over the years he has developed a personal technique and style for his figurative and narrative images.
He experiences painting as a spiritual journey towards a conclusion, which can’t be reached literally. Although a conclusion of a journey without an end is a contradiction, the narrative of this journey is being visualised in his paintings.

‘His Paradise Garden’ is a contemporary landscape painting series with extroverted and intimate works in various sizes, from small to museum size. The work is purely about nature, about light, about chaos and order. The work is about joy and the romance of surrender and research into the form and reason of nature.

Elephant trails

For years I regularly walk early in the morning on elephant paths between trees and shrubs in a garden that my father has cultivated. Paths that make their way through nature, nature that tries to take over everything with great dedication. Paths that lead deeper and deeper into the garden, where natural shelter falls over your shoulders like a blanket.

Natural shelter that provides security to the soul.

Everything here is has been made personally, trees have been planted and released, sawn stumps are weathered and generate new life. Every spring an amount of greenery explodes that continues to amaze and that is almost impossible to prune.

Everything in the garden is made of things that have been found and came into being, things that are going to take on their own lives, adhering to their own laws and own regularity.

That garden has become the mirror of my father's soul and that garden has inspired me to create an extensive, growing series of paintings.

The unrelenting fascination for light and natural composition, for the reason for life, life force and natural selection, has permanently carved its way through my work. Like elephant paths in a forest of possibilities, contradictions and solutions.