Marianne Bellenhaus was born and grew up in Dinslaken on the Lower Rhine, studied art and pedagogy at the University of Education in Münster and, at the same time, was a guest student in the drawing class for graphics and design in Münster.

I worked as a teacher and headmistress in Dorsten until 2001. In 2002 I joined the Westphalian artist group “KIM / Art is more” in Borken. I was chair of this group between 2005 and 2013.

My work covers a fairly broad spectrum, ranging from drawings with graphite and ink to watercolor and tempera paintings to paintings, mainly in oil, sometimes also in acrylic on canvas. The style of the pictures tends towards abstract expressionism, but occasionally also shows impressionistic features – with vague hints of reality. In addition, over time a large number of works using graphic printing techniques were created, which were shown at the German-Dutch Graphics Exchange for many years.

There are also works in the sculptural area, from small sculptures in metal, wood, leather, stone to room installations. In recent years, photography has taken up more and more space. A series of photo books were created.

The exhibition in Kerkje De Rietstap, which deals with the theme of “places of desire”, will mainly feature oil paintings of different sizes, with the choir room with a large triptych being the most important exhibit.