Protecting by fragile beauty, that’s what I want. I try to imagine and protect my own memories and my feelings about femininity. I prefer to wrap and embellish the female body with fragile beauty. But it’s also nice to imagine my world of memories in textile objects and pen drawings. I use delicate old materials, soft earthy colors and fine handicraft techniques, and like to be seduced by broken stones and shells as carriers of memories. They too must be protected with fragile beauty.
Sylvia Terwisscha van Scheltinga was born on 2 November 1955 in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. In 1985 she graduated from the Academy of Visual Training in Tilburg.
After that, she lived in Nicaragua for 3 years. In addition to her painting, she teaches at the Academía Nacional del Artes Plásticas of Managua. Her work from that time consists mainly of human figures in watercolour. In Nicaragua she participates in group exhibitions several times. In 1987 she had her first personal exhibition with “Formas en acuarela”, both in Managua (Nicaragua) and Tilburg.
In 1992 she moved and worked in Gorinchem. Besides painting, she also works as an independent cultural educator.
In 2010 she finally gives in to her true passion; imagining her own world in textiles.
Since March 2011 she has been working full-time as an autonomous artist. In textiles she can tell her story, her memories, her feelings about protection, softness, empathy and above all vulnerability.
Since April 2019 Sylvia lives and works in both the Netherlands and Colombia.
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018