Laurien Renckens: From Burnout to Birds of Paradise in a Self-Built Nijmegen Studio
Laurien Renckens, who was born in Nijmegen in 1966, initially practiced speech therapy until a burnout at the age of 25 prompted her return to her artistic roots. She began her painting journey in 1991 and established her studio at Houtwerf in 1997. In 2023, her husband, Alwin Willems, constructed a timber-frame studio at their residence. Her artistic style transitioned from monochrome pieces to small triangular works featuring vibrant colors. A trip to Kenya in 2021 sparked her telesma series, culminating in a book release in 2024 with Project 2.0 Gallery. After her father's passing in November 2025, she embarked on a daily project of 365 ecoline drawings. Additionally, she collaborates with children in Kenya and Uganda to create figures from street waste.
Key facts
- Laurien Renckens was born in Nijmegen in 1966 and had a burnout at 25 while working as a speech therapist
- She began painting in 1991 and moved to a workspace at the Houtwerf on the Hatertseweg in 1997
- Her husband Alwin Willems built her a timber-frame studio in 2023 behind their house near Nijmegen
- A 2021 trip to a Kenyan athletics training camp inspired the telesma series painted on unfolded espresso sleeves
- 99Uitgevers in Haarlem published the book in 2024 with Project 2.0 Gallery in The Hague
- The telesma series was expanded into the Birds of Paradise works, including a 200×270 cm tapestry
- Her father died in November 1925 by passive euthanasia
- On 1 January 2026 she began a series of 365 daily ecoline drawings of 5.8 cm circles
Entities
Artists
- Laurien Renckens
- Mariës Hendriks
- Alwin Willems
- Jos Hermens
- Alex de Vries
- Greetje
- Schelfhout
Institutions
- 99Uitgevers
- Project 2.0 Gallery
- The Frozen Fountain
- Houtwerf
- Mister Motley
- Dinamo
Locations
- Nijmegen
- Netherlands
- Hatertseweg
- Haarlem
- The Hague
- Amsterdam
- Kenya
- Uganda
- Europe