about …

A memory experienced again through the act of making.

A re-memory.

A re-memory is not about the memory.

The feeling it awakens is.

That’s unique, real, pure, authentic.

That is Echt.

about …

Why do I pick up leaves, feathers, and stones; stand still to look at a pistil, waves, clouds, and birds; touch trees and plants; hold a pet or another human—and so much more?

Wonder. Connection. Peace.

Not because it’s beautiful.

Not because it’s unusual.

Because noticing creates a feeling.

I feel the details and sense the atmosphere.

That’s my way of moving through the world.

Taking in an unrepeatable moment of movement. Unique.

Sensing the silence of ongoing movement.

I create to offer a tiny moment, a breath, a little smile, a small tear—the quiet recognition of something within.

Give ordinary moments the dignity they deserve.

None are spectacular. To me, they matter.

Some memories don’t ask to be remembered.

They simply wait to be felt again.

I am Dutch by birth. My name is Birgitta. It often became Git, simply because people found my full name difficult to pronounce. Since immigrating to New Zealand in 2010, I have also been known as Whetū, which means “star” in te reo Māori. These days, I use Birgitta again. It is, after all, my name.

I am drawn to the extraordinary that reveals itself within the ordinary. I don’t paint what I see; I paint from what I experience. The doorway.

I am largely self-taught. In my work, I capture the essence of nature and real-life emotions by zooming in on details and conveying the mercuriality of colour.

This leads me to both abstract and figurative artworks using mixed media.

In turns, my work glimmers with quiet reflection and explodes with vibrant colour, multi-layered and honest, explicit and vague.

Echt Arts is who I am.

It is what I always want to return to.

My compass.

A painting.

A print.

about …

Recognition. Over the years, my work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions and has found homes in private collections in several countries. And yes, there have been awards too.

These experiences brought me tremendous joy and hugely shaped my growth as an artist. Grateful is too small a word for it.

And yet, I choose not to let those experiences define my present. To me, it is more important that people trust what they feel in my work, because they recognise something of themselves within it.

I feel truly blessed by the beautiful memories of people choosing a painting or a print because, in that moment, something in the work spoke to something within them.

A quiet moment of shared recognition. That is Echt.

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