Masako van Leijenhorst’s Oriental brush paintings and collages reflect different moods of nature.

Pine Tree and Moon, 2001. Watercolor, ink, and acrylic on paper, 20 x 32 in.

do not paint an exact likeness of nature, but intend to bring out the essence and 'feel' of nature in my painting," says artist Masako van Leijenhorst.
        Born in Osaka in 1940, van Leijenhorst has had an interesting and varied life, residing in many countries and studying different art techniques and aesthetics. She met her husband, Jan, an international banker, in Japan; after the couple moved to theNetherlands in the early 1970s, her involvement with art began as she studied drawing and oil painting at the Rotterdam School of Fine Arts. She

Purple Garden, 2001. Collage of torn paper, gold leaf, and watercolor on paper, 20 x 12 in.

continued painting in oils during the following years when the couple lived in Greece and Indonesia.
        In 1976 they moved to the Philippines, where van Leijenhorst took up Oriental brush painting, studying with a well-known traditional Chinese painter in> Manila. She continued to explore a freer style of Oriental brush painting in Bangkok, Thailand, under Lim Yao, a Thai artist of Chinese descent whose work is highly regarded throughout Southeast Asia.
        From 1989 to 1993, the couple lived in Japan, where van Leijenhorst graduated from the Sankei Gakuin School of Art in Tokyo. There she studied a variety of Japanese painting styles, including Nihonga (a medium using natural pigments) and brush painting on gold leaf and silk. She also studied classic-style Japanese collage.
        Since 1993, she and her husband have resided in Evanston, Ilinois. Although most of her time is taken up with her artwork, van Leijenhorst is also a first-degree teacher of ikebana (Sogetsu School), the Japanese art of flower arranging.

Peony, 2002. Watercolor, ink, and acrylic on paper, 10x12 in.

        About 75 percent of her artwork is Oriental brush painting on rice paper, and the rest is vibrant collage. In her soft-hued paintings, she strives to capture the peaceful beauty and mystery of nature. "Many collectors say they meditate in front of the paintings," notes Jan. For her colorful, mixed-media collages, Masako combines the Japanese technique of chigiri-e (paper tearing) with Oriental brush painting. She comments: "I also make liberal use of gold leaf, as this gives my works the rich and joyful character I want to convey." The collages, though clearly based on nature, are almost abstract. "The surreal patterns that are thus created allow a viewer to give his or her own interpretation to the meaning of the images," she says.