Accidents can change the course of destiny. This has been proved by Marissa Oosterlee. This successful award-winning international artist from the Netherlands was, in fact, an aspiring semi-professional cyclist, when she met with a serious accident that put an end to her promising sporting career. However, her indomitable spirit refused to take this setback lying down.
Oosterlee was always passionate about art since she was able to hold a pencil. So, it was natural for her to take up painting in the right earnest. That she turned it into a successful career and gained international fame is a saga of hard work and years of practice. Today, she’s a celebrated artist, who uses everyday tools to make amazing artwork employing a minimum of colors.
Oosterlee’s forte is hyper-realistic paintings, in which she employs Airbrush techniques to create outstanding works. According to her, to achieve a certain level of mastery in painting realistic faces with an Airbrush requires experience, the right techniques, and a good eye, not to mention hours of daily practice. This is the only way to get the true likeness of the subject, in terms of the right shape, the perfect expression, and suchlike things.
Oosterlee’s painting career got a boost when she painted a portrait of the Queen of Holland that won her the national Dutch painting competition in 2004. This gained her fame and she started receiving requests from big game companies, such as Jumbo and Constantin Film for commissioned work.
In no time, Oosterlee’s incredible artworks started getting international recognition and won her a string of awards, such as American Art Collector’s Choice Award; Creative Achievement Award, Peterson Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico; Artist’s Choice Award Winfield Gallery, Carmel by the Sea, California, to name just a few.
Oosterlee’s works have been published in several newspapers and international magazines, such as Airbrush Art and Action, Airbrush Step By Step, Art Scene International, and others. She has also been interviewed by many television channels. Not only this, but she’s also regularly invited to Airbrush and art shows around the globe to give live demonstrations. She enjoys a fan following of over 100,000 on Instagram alone.
Marissa Oosterlee
