Lotte Goede
AQ is our series of hardcover catalogs celebrating extraordinary women artists. Available on Amazon. Visit the AQ Catalog Webpage to learn more.
AQ Volume IV artist Lotte Goede is a Dutch painter, living in Sammamish, Washington. She is a self-taught mixed media artist who started painting in her thirties.
Her paintings are abstract, created through intuitive creative play, which is evident in the multiple layers and textures in her paintings. She paints for the purpose of painting and the joy it brings. This form of pure and intuitive expression has transformed her life.
Goede has exhibited at galleries in Seattle and Mercer Island. Her work is regularly selected for exhibits at a variety of local venues.
www.LotteGoede.com
What inspired you to become an artist, and how did you decide to commit to this path?
I have always been creative but did not start painting until my early 30s. As a stay-at-home mom with two babies, my world had become small and it felt overwhelming. I looked for an activity outside of the home that would re-charge me. I found a painting workshop. From the moment I started painting in that class, my heart opened and I had an intense experience of ‘flow’. I haven’t put my brush down after that. When I paint, I completely come back to myself, it’s good for my soul.
Could you share the story or concept behind your recent work?
When I paint, I paint without a plan.
I intuitively make marks and choose colors. I keep turning the canvas and respond to parts of the painting that interest me and call my attention. In this way, I keep interacting with the painting, until it feels complete and finished. It’s an organic process.
What was the most challenging part of your path so far? How are you navigating this obstacle?
The most challenging part of painting is always navigating the ‘yucky phase’. I have heard other artists refer to it as the ‘awkward teenager phase’ of a painting. The painting is coming along but doesn’t quite know what it wants to be yet, where it’s going.
This is where I can feel stuck, uninspired, not sure how to move forward. It feels frustrating and it’s easy to just stop and walk away at this point. Which is what I often did.
Over time, I have learned to stick with the process, trust my skills, and continue to make small changes and take some risks – knowing and trusting that the painting will come together.
What role does experimentation and exploration play in your artistic practice?
That is all I do. I follow my curiosity, which leads me to experiment and explore. It keeps my painting practice fresh and exciting. That is how I grow and learn.
I experiment with all kinds of painting media, from acrylic, watercolor, ink, and oil to environmentally friendly paints like casein paint and making my own natural dyes from plants and flowers.
I play around with lots of different techniques to create appealing marks, rhythm, and patterns. I use a variety of materials to create texture—from plaster to tissue paper to self-made paper from recycled math worksheets my kids bring home from school.
I also like to step out of my comfort zone by stepping away from the intuitive once a week to practice portrait and figure painting. Exploring, creative play, and consistently showing up for these two is my artistic practice.
Do you have any start or stop rituals before creating?
Yes, I can’t just walk into my studio and start painting. I need to get into the zone. Depending on my mood, I do this by meditating or dancing – something to get out of my head and into my body. Or I simply gesso some canvases, tidy up my studio – something that helps me ‘land’ into the studio and gets me into the creative headspace.
What message do you hope your art conveys to the world?
I hope my paintings will pull people out of their head, and into a space of feeling and imagination. Even if just for a moment…people might take notice of how the painting makes them feel and what they see.
Share a mantra or favorite quote that keeps you going.
“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” – Picasso
I love and relate to the following words by Alan Alda: “You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover is yourself.”
