In the studio – work in progress
This intuitive painting process begins without a fixed image or predetermined outcome. In my studio, I return to the same canvas, night after night, allowing the painting to emerge through layers, gesture and response.
“Intuitive painting allows the image to develop through layers, movement and time, rather than through a fixed plan. ” – Leonoor Ruigrok
What is intuitive painting?
Intuitive painting begins without a fixed image or predetermined outcome. Instead of working towards a clear composition, the process unfolds through response, material and movement. The painting develops step by step, guided by what appears on the surface rather than what was decided in advance.
A physical form of intuition
In this way of working, intuition is not something abstract, but something physical. It lives in the gesture, in the rhythm of applying and removing paint, in the moment of continuing or stopping. Each layer carries traces of what came before, while at the same time opening space for something new.
A dialogue with the image
For me, this means entering into a dialogue with the painting. I look, work, step back and return again. What is happening? Where does it resist? What does the image ask for, and what do I bring into it? Within that exchange, direction begins to form, without being fixed beforehand.
Letting the image emerge
Rather than constructing an image, intuitive painting allows the image to slowly become visible. It asks for a different kind of attention, one that is patient, receptive, and willing to remain in not knowing.
At the same time, the story remains open. The image is not a fixed answer, but a space in which the viewer can find their own meaning.
Working in layers and movement
There’s a quiet buzz in my studio.
You’re warmly invited to visit my studio, more about what a studio visit entails can be found here.
Most evenings, I find myself working on several pieces at once.
Right now, I’m creating a new oil painting, layer by layer,
each night returning to see: what has emerged today?
soulful painting in Oil
This video offers a glimpse into my soulful painting process,
from raw movement to delicate detail.
What comes into being never arrives all at once.
It unfolds. Just like we do.
I’m curious: what do you feel when you look at this evolving work?
-This piece is still becoming, but the energy is already present.
This way of working connects closely to how symbolism appears in my paintings. The image is not constructed, but revealed through interaction with material and time.
→ More about how symbolism develops in my work can be found on the Symbols & Narrative page.
From process to image — Red Home
In this intuitive painting process, an image doesn’t start as a fixed idea. It appears gradually, through layers and shifts in material.
Red Home emerged in this way. A small structure holding its ground within a larger movement of paint and gesture.
Part of my Icelandic Houses series, where the image develops through tension between fragility and strength.
