By Fleur van Deijck
Picture by Lilian van Rooij
It’s a Friday morning as Siobhán is getting ready for the weekly drawing workshop at BUas. She looks inside her room crowded with paintings one last time before closing the front door. Ready to develop her skills and express her creativity. Once Siobhán arrives in the classroom, she gets ready to paint; she puts oil paint and turpentine on the table next to her. She grabs some painting brushes and starts painting the base layer with burned umber.
This is where her adventure started. The past three years, Siobhán has developed her painting skills from someone who was skeptical about oil paint to someone who is one of the best amateur painters of the Netherlands. Thanks to her Games lecturers, she got in touch with painting realistic, yet soft portraits on canvas. In this years’ season of Project Rembrandt, Siobhán was one of the candidates who made it until the finale.
Project Rembrandt is a Dutch television program in which a selective group of amateur painters compete to become the best Dutch amateur painter of the year. The show is broadcasted by the NTR. Every week, the viewers get to see how the group gets smaller and the amazing paintings that are made. In every episode, the candidates work on two assignments: technical and autonomous work. Siobhán attained the second place with an amazing painting of her in a wedding dress together with her mom. Let’s find out how she looks back at her participation in Project Rembrandt.
What was Project Rembrandt like for you?
It was a weird yet amazing experience. I have met many great people; it was nice to be part of the creation of a television show. In February 2021, the registrations were open for the tv show and between August 2021 and February 2022 the tv recordings took place. Overall, it was an exciting year!
Why did you apply for Project Rembrandt?
I applied for Project Rembrandt because I enjoy painting on canvas. I’m a third year Games student at BUas and every Friday we have a drawing workshop on campus. One day, a teachers told me to bring acrylic paint to the next workshop. The next week, he asked me to bring oil paint to the next workshop. I felt like oil paint is very enjoyable to work with. I watched Project Rembrandt ever since the age of 18, so I was familiar with the tv show. At BUas, I received many compliments about my painting skills. So, I decided to apply for Project Rembrandt. This way, I could check if I am indeed as good as everyone tells me.
What was your favorite assignment at Project Rembrandt?
The assignment in which we painted Shirma Rouse. For the non-Dutchies: Shirma is a famous Dutch soul singer. During the assignment, we focused on light and dark. During my Games course, I specialize in lighting, so I was excited for this assignment. Besides, I want to achieve a good result, especially with this assignment. Because after all, this is my specialization. Luckily, I won this assignment.
What was the hardest assignment at Project Rembrandt?
The hardest assignment was where we needed to capture movement in a drawing. We drew a horse, while I prefer portraits. I never drew a horse; I don’t know how that works. During the shooting day, I felt like it wasn’t going well, and this would be my last episode of Project Rembrandt. In the next assignment, we drew salsa dancers. I wasn’t satisfied with the result; I thought “I’ll be on television with this shitty painting!”. It was stressful. But, I made it to the next episode.
What was it like to be locked up for 24 hours and only paint?
It was fun but still quite difficult. The night before the shooting day, I watched an episode of Project Rembrandt with a bunch of friends. I had to travel quite some time to meet my friends. So, I was home at 00:00, slept at 01:00 and had to wake up at 04:00 to travel to Hilversum. I had a hangover while painting a huge landscape for 24 hours, and still it was an amazing ‘once in a lifetime’ experience. I would do it again, but no landscape painting for me, haha.
Do you have tips for people who want to apply for next season?
Yes, have faith in your talent! The crew is looking for painters who are talented, but still have room for development. Of course, you shouldn’t be camera shy and it helps if you have a nice chat. However, they mostly look for potential.
In the final episode, you explain that you will call yourself a painter if you win the show. You attained the second place, which you should be proud of. Do you consider yourself a painter?
Yes and no. It is difficult to me. I feel like a student who paints. Due to the show, I feel a pressure when I start painting. It feels like people expect me to create something amazing every time I paint. However, this is not how it works. I search for interesting pictures on Pinterest and start to copy them as how the photographer intended it. Now, every painting should be an original Siobhan and have a story. I feel way more comfortable with the label ‘student who paints’. You can call me a painter when I’m in my forties 😉.
What inspires you?
Pictures on Pinterest, good lighting, passion, and emotions (sounds cliché, but is the truth). I also get inspired by life itself and by films, like Marvel or Dune. It makes me feel excited to paint.
How many paintings have you made in total?
I have some unfinished paintings, but about 200 canvases with simple sketches included. My whole room is covered with paintings. So far, I sold one painting to someone who collects paintings of Project Rembrandt candidates. My followers on the socials thought I look like some Pornhub actress, so I made a portrait of her. The buyer asked if it was a self-portrait, so I sold it to him as an inside joke. However, it feels a bit scary to sell my paintings, because where do you start? What if I don’t meet people’s expectations because it looked different in the picture? I would like to do commissions. However, the ones I received are massive artworks. I want my first commission to be small.
Do you have tips for starters who want to develop their painting skills?
Just start practicing. Try to copy your favorite paintings. This way, you will understand the painting process of the original painter. After a while, you will develop your own way. Find Siobhán’s personal Instagram here and her ‘student who paints’ Instagram here. Haven’t seen Project Rembrandt yet? Check out all episodes here.
