Of Sand, Bark, Wood, and Swirls

Artist: Brigitte de la Horie (18 June 1952)  

Exhibit: “40 ans d’expo”, Les Ecuries, Waterloo, Belgium, 23 January – 23 February 2025 

When you first walk into the old stables (Ecuries) of Waterloo, Belgium, now converted into a beautiful exposition hall of brick and wood, the first thing you see across the room are big brush strokes of ochre and grey and blue making waves on a white canvas that is reminiscent of the Lebanese calligrapher Hassan Massdoudy and his wide Arabic script.  

Then as you look around the space, you quickly realise that you are almost in a sanctuary with pieces on display from a 40-year career of transmitting tranquility and harmony, the same tranquility and harmony that is inherent in nature.

Juxtaposing and using natural elements with her paintings, Brigitte de la Horie connects canvases with pieces of driftwood cut to the size of the height of the canvas, giving the impression that the real (dead) tree is closer to you, while the canvases on either side also have trees in lighter brown that appear to be in the distance as you back away from the ‘triptych’.

And she does not fear the silence that empty spaces can create, rather she uses the whiteness to her advantage in transmitting the vacancy of a seascape, and in capturing the abstract flight of black birds against the dull gray open sea.

A defining trait of her work is the definite black lines that reappear in different paintings: these are strong, confident, and bold lines, sometimes straight, sometimes curvy, and almost always accompanied by a random splattering of black dots.

Influenced by Japanese art, Brigitte de la Horie practiced kendo martial arts for over a decade that comes through in the delicacy and meditative allure of her artwork. There are no shadows here, no chiaroscuro illuminations of a saint’s face.

There is a calmer inspiration that unifies her abstract art, something connected with the way nature can move so slowly – almost as if awaiting the next change. Are we waiting for nature to move? Or are we waiting to move towards nature? Can we move together?

And Brigitte de la Horie uses sand, the ‘secret’ trait of her work that she applies to parts of her paintings, probably with a sponge and light glue or while the paint is still wet, but she will not tell you how or why she does it. Some things are better left unknown.

The grains of sand create a rough texture that is inviting. You want to touch her paintings and feel the granular raspiness of the beach on your fingers, and the rough pieces of tree between the canvases compels you to go out and touch nature.