CHRISTEL
ROELANDT
Christel Roelandt is a Belgium-born artist who is only now taking her first live model painting
course. She worked multiple jobs until three years ago when she received a birthday present: a
canvas, few brushes and acrylic paints. From there on she has had a passionate relationship with
painting, quickly developing her expression. She paints portraits of people whom she respects, and
images that emerges from within, often with the help of music. In addition she does sensual nude
paintings. Today she divides her time between her birth place Ghent and Lebanon. She kindly
shared her journey in arts so far. Imagery courtesy of Christel Roelandt. Interview by Kimmo Matias.
Can you tell us something about your background?
Ghent right now.
I was born in 1965 in Lokeren near Ghent in Belgium,
as a little girl I always liked to draw, but then many kids do,
so neither me or my parents thought more of it. In my
teenage years listening to music and social issues such as
discrimination and racism were my little obsessions. Other
than that I was a fairly boring middle class girl, I guess. I
got a Bachelor's degree in Business Communication in
Ghent and gladly got stuck in that charming city I call
home now.
I worked several office jobs first, then shop
manager of a flower shop and a in a fashion store before
moving to Lebanon with my family, where we live now
since 10 years, about fifteen kilometers North of Beirut.
Since my son decided to study in Belgium and move back
to Ghent last year, I am happily dividing my time between
my two "homes" again.
How long have you been painting?
Are you a self-taught artist or did you have formal
training?
I am self-taught. I never took lessons apart from the
afternoons I painted together with my friend May Ling
Yong (http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/may-lingyong.html) who does have an academic education. In fact I
am taking my first course (live nude model painting) in
Apart from a few portraits in pencil: Martin Luther King
and Stevie Wonder - I did when I was about 15 or 16 (I still
have them,) it all started in February three years ago
when May Ling gave me a canvas, a few brushes and
acrylic tubes for my birthday and suggested we paint
together from time to time.
K-oodi Magazine is featuring paintings from different
stages of your career. Can you tell us a little bit about the
journey from beginning to today?
I will start from three years ago: at that moment in my
life I was kind of in a void, I had no day job in Lebanon and
my son getting older, he didn't need much caring
anymore... so when May Ling sprung the blessed birthday
present upon me, at first I had no idea what to paint; a
complete blank in my mind! Another friend of mine joined
us and said: here is a picture of lady with a cat, you like
cats, why don't you paint that? So there I go and produced
something that ended up looking like a vaguely Asian
woman with puffy Arabic trousers and a catlike creature
on her knee. But I did like the feel of the brush on the
canvas, so I started exploring the web for arts and the