Eline Martherus (b 1992) is an Amsterdam-based contemporary artist and painter. Eline draws her inspiration from people and their role in society: “Perhaps I translate it somewhat abstract, but it is about the dynamics between light and dark, about the appearance and disappearance of colours and shapes, just as it is the case with people and situations.” Eline hopes that the viewer will explore the boundaries of intention and the opposing forces of logic and intuition with her.
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Through her latest series, she delves into the persistent motion of life and the complexities of societal dynamics within today’s world. Drawing inspiration from nature’s constant state of rhythms, Eline’s work encapsulates the interplay between individuals and their surroundings. With her extensive background in the field of textile innovation, Eline brings forth her own unique approach to the canvas. Working most commonly with pouring techniques and natural pigments like indigo, she treats her pieces akin to textiles, intuitively arranging compositions that resemble the organic flow of life itself. In the process of experimenting with pigments, Eline sees herself almost like a chemist, creating various recipes in different vessels to achieve the desired effect. Her choice to work mostly with unprepared cotton reflects the importance of natural materials and how they carry paint: “The paint nestles in, almost like an ink stain, and it then organically flows.”

1. Where were you born and where are you from ?

I was born in Son & Breugel, a small village in the South of the Netherlands. 

2. What is your first memory connected to the art world ?

One of my earliest and most vivid memories is seeing Stomp—the performance group known for transforming everyday objects into instruments and creating immersive installation-like experiences. The simplicity paired with powerful rhythm and raw energy felt like pure magic to me. That duality—playful and profound—stayed with me ever since. 

3. Have you always worked in the art/design field, and what led you to the design creation ?

In my own way, yes. I have a background in (Textile) design, and before I started painting spent many years making natural pigments and weaving on my loom.

4. What led you to the design creation ?

For me, design is a visual language I’ve taught myself—an intuitive way to reflect on the world as I perceive it. It allows me to create an intimate dialogue, both with myself and with the viewer, inviting resonance and layered interpretation. I see it as a reflection on my own reflection—like the paradox of eating your own hand, it’s self-referential, raw, and revealing.

5. How would you describe your creative process and it influences ?

My creative process is intuitive and rooted in nature’s constant motion. I treat the canvas like a textile, letting natural pigments such as indigo flow and settle organically. With a background in textile innovation, I approach painting like chemistry—experimenting with recipes and materials to discover new visual textures. Often working from a larger “mother cloth,” I cut my compositions into fragments, echoing life’s cycles of transformation. Movement, tension, and stillness coexist in my work, inviting reflection within complexity.

6. Could you describe a typical day of your work ?

There is no such thing as a typical day in my practice. Just like nature, my mind is in constant motion, and I follow its rhythm rather than a fixed schedule. I never know how I’ll wake up or where my creative energy will lead me that day. When I enter a phase of creation, I often paint for 12-hour stretches over several days, fully immersed in my own world. During those times, I exist in a kind of capsule—completely devoted to the work. In general I spend a lot of time in my studio because it needs to breath the work and I need to co-exist, together. I need to understand it from many different perspectives.

7. Why did you choose the specific materials you work with ?

I see my working method as that of an alchemist—constantly creating recipes where each element influences the final outcome in unexpected ways. This process holds a certain kind of magic for me. I’m drawn to the transformation of materials and the dialogue they create with time and environment. Working with a clear intention from the start is essential; it gives structure to the otherwise fluid and intuitive process. It’s this balance between control and surrender that defines my relationship with materials.

8. What are the technical particularities of your creations ?

The technical approach in my work has evolved over time. In the early years, I worked almost exclusively with indigo pigment—its ability to shift from grey to purple through dilution revealed a vast emotional spectrum within a single color, which fascinated me for years. Over the past three years, my palette has expanded to include more purples and greens—a dialogue, for me, between mystery and serenity. I currently work on unprimed Belgian linen, which allows the pigments to soak in like ink stains, creating organic flows and unexpected textures. This unmediated interaction between material and medium is central to my process.

9. What advices could you give to beginning artists who would like to create sculptural design works ?

My advice to beginning artists is this: if your desire to create comes from the heart and not the ego, it will naturally find its way. Stay close to your practice, spend time with it, breathe with it. Let it grow slowly, so you not only shape the work but also come to understand the process that shapes you. 

10. If your works had to belong to a design movement, in which one would you define it ?

I believe the interpretation of my work ultimately lies with the viewer, but if I had to place it within a design movement, I would describe it as contemporary abstract. My work often evokes emotion and, at times, invites interaction through installation, aligning it with the sensibilities of this movement.

11. What designers and artists have influenced you ?

Painters such as Helen Frankenthaler, Per Kirkeby, and Matisse, poets, and performance art, which include water and sound. 

12. What contemporary designers do you appreciate ?

A Dutch collective called Studio Drift. 

13. What contemporary artists (in any kind of art) have you been inspired by ?

Studio drift, Dries verhoeven, Stomp. 

14. If you had to summarize your creations in one word or sentence, what would it be ?

The blueprint of humankind. 

PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE
(The Proust Questionnaire is a set of questions answered by the French writer Marcel Proust.
Other historical figures who have answered confession albums are Oscar Wilde,
Karl Marx, Arthur Conan Doyle, Stéphane Mallarmé, Paul Cézanne…)

11. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

It’s a matter of perspective. 

12. Which talent would you most like to have?

Thrive on 3 hours of sleep. 

13. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I think it would be nice for my surroundings if I were less chaotic in communication. Pick up the phone more often.

14. What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Building a life where I get to share my greatest love with the world.

15. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?

A wild horse on an island near the Flores Sea. 

16. Where would you most like to live?

This is an ever-changing answer –At this point in life, I like to be with my family and closest to the sea as possible.

17. What is your most treasured possession?

My memories. 

18. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

If you haven’t traveled, your mind. 

19. What is your favorite occupation?

Translating emotions unfiltered onto the canvas. 

20. What is your most marked characteristic?

Capturing the fastness of emotions and translating these into colours. 

21. What do you most value in your friends?

Playfulness and the use of their sense to witness life. 

22. Who are your favorite writers?

Carl Jung, Marion Woodman. 

23. Who is your hero of fiction?

Winnie the Pooh. 

24. Which historical figure do you most identify with?

Helen Frankenthaler would be a true compliment. 

25. Who are your heroes in real life?

People in their Dharma. 

26. What are your favorite names?

I like short names starting with an R. 

27. What is it that you most dislike?

Being restricted before it even started. 

28. What is your greatest regret?

Betraying my own intuition. 

29. How would you like to die?

Full of memories and stories. 

30. What is your motto?

Everything flows, nothing is permanent, panta rei.