Roseline Koener finds ways to translate joy into paint

There’s something about the vibrant colors in Roseline Koener’s painting that sparks a smile. Maybe it’s the playful reds, the contemplative violets, the neon oranges or the greens that range from lime to spring grass. Or maybe it’s the rough texture of the paper and the way the pieces of painted color are collaged together with snippets of lace and snatches of writing not meant to be read.

Most likely, the joy is coming from the inside. Put another way, Ms. Koener is channeling happiness and embracing what’s good about being human when she makes her art. Viewers have only to take a quick gaze before the childlike playfulness jumps off the surface and gives them a hug.

If this is a viewer’s reaction to seeing Ms. Koener’s abstract work, then she feels satisfied. Area residents can gauge their own reactions to Ms. Koener’s art at a solo show at the Quogue Library. The show, on view through December 1, features 19 paintings by the Westhampton artist.

Ms. Koener is drawn to bright colors and applies them liberally when making her paintings. The colors she chooses can’t be found in any paint tube. She creates her own palette by mixing dry pigment with egg whites and an emulsifier until the color matches her imagination. She also mixes dry pigment with a natural ink (Gomme Arabique) to coax colors from their layered surfaces.

The mark of her hands or her fingers can be found, if one looks closely. She prefers to paint on thick Nepalese paper and swathes of cotton because of the texture. She often cuts up pieces of paintings and collages them to form something new. She makes marks on her painting that look like symbols or words that almost could be read.

Most of all, Ms. Koener invites the child inside to come out and play. In this way, her paintings can be imbued with innocence, love, joy and an easy understanding that there is a connection to a creator who is kind and loving and wants us to feel the same.

“I paint from the feelings and sensations in the present moment,” the Belgium native said in a recent interview. “When I paint, I’m in touch with the wellspring of fire and love that comes from deep inside. For me, to paint is touching and making the fire come through the colors. The colors are like stained class and each person is like stained glass—the source of the fire and light and love shines through.”

But drawing on playfulness, spontaneity, staying in the moment and keeping in touch with love and positive emotions doesn’t mean that each painting is created quickly or easily. The process of discovery can take time. Patience, acceptance, and trusting that the right colors, textures and collaged elements will be discovered are also part of Ms. Koener’s painting practice.

“In an organized way, the painting grows from the inside,” she said. “It’s back and forth with what I feel is needed to make the painting whole: not finished, but whole, and is completed and vibrant.”

In her process, she builds layers of paint, adds texture from pieces of cloth, and collages things like pieces of letters not sent, data processing sheets and strips of newspaper. She paints on kitchen towels, cotton sheets and even a Nepalese blouse, as in the painting, “Laughing With Leaves of Love.”

Afterward, titles arrive as on a warm breeze. They can be as playful as the work is colorful: “Playfield of Colorful Sounds,” “Flowers Are Laughing with Giggles,” or “Dance of the Birds on the Sand.” Other titles reveal tenderness and intimacy: “My Hands Are Touching a Tender Fire” or “At Noon, A Whisper of Joy.”

In a partial reversal of the process, she made a series of paintings inspired by a title, “The Book of Hours.” This medieval prayer book was designed to bring communion with God on a daily basis to the general population and provided a way to mark the passing of time.

Ms. Koener said it was the title alone that intrigued her. She made paintings on the cardboard bindings of the Nepalese paper that looked like book covers. Afterward, she titled her artwork. Each begins with, “Book of Hours,” and continues with “When Blades Are Dancing Out of Love” or “When Our Hearts are Thirsty for Eternity” or “When Stars Invite Us in Silence.”

Ms. Koener explained her art wasn’t always colorful and inspired by love. For years, she favored black with specks of white. She painted and drew portraits. The art came from her mind and not her heart. Things shifted when she moved from Belgium to Africa some 20 years ago. The colors and patterns all around and the warmth of the people cracked open something she had left behind in childhood.

She fell in love, married and had a child. She took a personal development workshop given by PRH (Personality and Human Relationships), an international school for adults. Intrigued by a change in herself, she took more classes. She is now a Licensed Growth Educator and gives workshops combining creativity and personal development at her Westhampton and Bronx ateliers.

Another breakthrough occurred in 1994. She was working with cobalt blue, ultra marine and red and rubbed her paintbrush on a nearby piece of cotton. She noticed a vibrancy she had never seen in her artwork. She switched to painting on cloth or textured, thick paper and never looked back. Since moving to Westhampton around 10 years ago, she has incorporated in her paintings the textures of the sea, sand, and shells she spies when spending time at the ocean.

Ms. Koener believes her work will keep evolving and deepening as she continues to embrace the joy and love within. “My free child within has been unlocked and it’s much easier to feel joy and the fire and the wellspring,” she said. “I feel like I’m at the beginning of a new journey of real freedom. I’m excited to discover what will happen next.”

She has exhibited at Walter Wickiser Gallery in New York and other Manhattan galleries. Her work has been shown internationally in Sweden, Belgium, Switzerland, Mexico, France, and the Netherlands. Her art can be viewed online at www.roseline-koener.com.

“Textures of Joy” will remain on view at the Quogue Library at 90 Quogue Street through December 1. For information, call 653-4224 or visit www.quoguelibrary.org.