Hedie Meischke (honourable mention

RINALDO’S VOICE

Hedie Meischke (Honourable mention)

Four brothers and a big black horse: it is an image from an old Flemish folktale that stuck in Hedie’s head. But that is just the setting. Rinaldo is about an introverted, dreamy child in a loud, opiniated family. The brothers are very noisy, each in his own way, but they’re not

bad. They all want to help Rinaldo, and each in his own way. Rinaldo is trying to fit in, but he misses an inner connection. Luckily, there is a place where it is quiet and full of beauty, where he can hear his own heart. It’s called nature. And with the help of Horse, the brothers realise that Rinaldo is just fine the way he is. Actually, he is great.

Hedie uses non-digital methods only. She loves spontaneous, dashy lines, bright colours and the combination of graphical forms with small details. She mixes all sorts of media, such as the stencil technique, collage, monotype, stamping, charcoal, pastel, ink, paint and even sewing.

HEDIE MEISCHKE grew up in The Hague, where she studied at the Royal Academy of Arts. She also liked to work on projects for the Children’s Library, such as designing posters, flyers and booklets. When she moved to the countryside, she became an illustrator of nature magazines and also worked as a translator/subtitler. But her real goal and dearest wish ever since she was a child is to make picture books. This goal was inspired by a story-telling dad and a mom who never stopped reading to her and her siblings.

Hedie now lives in a romantic old farmhouse in the flat Dutch countryside. Nature and daily life are her inspirations. Hedie works from her emotions; to make art, she needs to feel a connection with her subjects. She likes to keep it light, but with a deeper layer, like a bit of mystery or poetry. And her work is always full of hope and humour. www.hediemeischke.carbonmade.com

JURY REPORT Hedie Meischke receives an honourable mention for her work, which the jury describes as thoroughly autonomous and experimental. Heide has developed her own unique visual idiom, for which she combines various techniques: stamping, painting and drawing, which are juxtaposed or superimposed on each other. She also applies different styles, alternating abstract shapes with human-like figures and fantasy animals. The horse’s tail is also a wave. And the ground of the forest is a miniature world teeming with life. The striking pictures radiate joy.