ABOUT
Artist Statement
When I was very young I watched a movie called The Fantastic Voyage. A Science fiction story about a group of scientists who were shrunk down to microscopic size and implanted into a human body. Along the journey, they encountered the biological ecosystem in a whole new way. Since then, I’ve been fascinated by the unseen networks all around us, how we relate to them, and how they support us.
As someone who has experienced trauma, struggled with chronic illness and mental health, I recognize how simply relating to our bodies, others, and our environment in a profound way can bring co-regulation and healing. Science is learning more and more about how interconnected and dependent we are on each other and I am continually inspired by the living structures that support us on a biological and energetic level such as our nervous system, the ocean, mycelium, quantum field, dark matter, and even the internet.
My work takes the viewer on a passage, revealing the abstract essences of these systems and blurring the lines between our human internal systems and the nature around us. Many times the work depicts what looks like living organs or organisms, viewing them from the vantage point of a landscape you could navigate and engage with.
My mixed media paintings unfold like a journey, and I flow with my intuition, developing layers, and working back into them, allowing the paintings to change and grow. When painting on canvas, I use acrylic and latex paint but add surprising materials like joint compound, collage, liquid latex, and acrylic mediums, along with markers, crayons, and pencils. When I create on paper, I use a more simple approach with fluid acrylic, masking fluid, acrylic ink, and pencil. I also create stream-of-consciousness poems that I incorporate into the work.
Artist Bio
Esther Loopstra is a painter and writer living in Seattle. In 2007 she received her BFA from Minneapolis College of Art and Design and had a prolific career as an illustrator until turning her attention toward fine art.
She now works primarily in mixed media, exploring ideas around the interconnectedness of our bodies, the environment, and the mystery of the infinite. She is passionate about exploration and uses various textures, collage and mediums to convey the sensuality of connection.
Esther has taught art for over 10 years at Kent State University and Cornish College of the Arts and works as a creative mentor. She also co-hosts the Flow into Authenticity podcast.
