Cary Jurriaans

Cary was born and raised in the Netherlands and grew up among some of the most beautiful art in the world.  She has shown an abundance of creative energy throughout her life.  After pursuing the decorative arts in many forms, she started painting. Cary’s formal art training started at the Seattle Academy of Fine Art. She also studied at the Florence Academy of Art and attended many other workshops in Europe and the US. 

Cary comes from a family of painters, her aunt was the Parisian painter Mena Loopuyt (1902-1991). She is also a direct descendant of Johan Joeke Gabriel van Wicheren (1808-1897), a Frisian portrait painter. He was the first teacher of Isaac Israels (Rembrandt’s student later). Cary’s work is in private collections in the US and Europe. Her work has been exhibited in numerous juried shows in the area, most notable the PONCHO invitational. She also has been featured in several publications.

In 2006, Cary started the Fall City Fine Art Studio (Now WHIDBEY ISLAND FINE ART STUDIO) in Washington. It was relocated to Langley Whidbey Island in 2009. Whidbey Island FAS is a Studio/School where artists can come and study in classes and workshops with nationally renowned instructors.

From Cary: 

"The world around us is constantly moving, things are moving at lightning speed. In fact movement seems to be the comfort zone that our world knows. The idea of sitting still and just settling into the space of stillness seems to be a foreign notion, a radical concept.And yet there is magic that happens in this space of stillness that simply cannot happen in the space of continual movement. There is a purity and serenity that simply cannot be found anywhere else.

I love painting this stillness. It has that quiet that I crave. I love the shapes of common objects, the reflections, the sleek lines and the soft and hard edges. The endless variety of patterns of light and dark fascinate me. I revel in the experience of working with paint creating the illusion of form and a flat surface and the ongoing challenge of seeing and learning more each time.

Painting is exhilarating, challenging and personally revealing. It has given me a new view on life and experiences beyond my imagination."