Icons, Portraits, and More…

Jenny Rigter-Petter, born in 1959 in Rouveen (municipality of Staphorst), has lived in Westervoort and Haren (Groningen), among other places. She is residing in Dinxperlo for over 35 years.

Her first painting was a watercolor of a pear. Later, she primarily painted with acrylics. For the past two years, she is working on icon painting.

During her time in Haren, Jenny Rigter-Petter took painting lessons at artist Alexandra (San) van Thiel’s for many years. Back in the Achterhoek region, she studied at Rob Jansen’s  for several years. Currently, she is painting icons under the guidance of Anne van Voorst.

Jenny is fascinated by portraiture because it requires her to meticulously study character traits and facial features, and she can observe how these gradually take shape when painting. In this way, art is a way for Jenny to fully concentrate on her creativity. While painting, the world seems to shrink onto the canvas or icon panel, and time flies by. Jenny has experienced much joy and happiness in her life, but also much suffering. For her, painting was a way to temporarily escape the mental turmoil of grief.

Jenny prefers to paint with classical music or Gregorian chants playing in the background. The completely different technique of icon painting compared to acrylic painting—the use of bone glue, natural pigments, working from dark to light, the final application of egg yolk, and so on—gives her paintings a new dimension. Because the paintings depict biblical scenes or saints, this prompts her to reflect on the meaning of these images in her life.

Jenny has worked as a counselor, admissions officer, and social worker in psychiatry. Alongside her studies at the Social Academy, she also completed a degree in Business Administration for the Public Sector at Nijenrode University. During her time in Haren, she worked for various municipalities in the social sector, supporting families facing a wide range of financial and other challenges. She was and continues to be active in various administrative roles, including in schools, churches, and politics.

Jenny is married, has three children, and ten grandchildren. She reads a lot and enjoys spending her free time outdoors, which is why she often chooses nature as a subject for her paintings.

This is her first exhibition.