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Over the years, Riedstra has developed her own recognisable painting style. In the movement of her brushstrokes the viewer clearly recognises the hand of the experienced artist. The apparent simplicity of her topics adds value and attraction to her work. With provocative ease, she communicates the ambience of her work to the public. The simplicity illustrates her personality and characterizes her technique. The structure of her work intends to draw attention to the underlying concept.
Riedstra is a keen observer; she eliminates the superfluous to reach the core essence. Through endless wandering and taking photos of images that catch her interest she acquires new and exciting experiences. This process provides us with an insight into her method of working. The power of her work lies in the accuracy of her brushwork and in the unstable balance that one experiences in every composition.
From that point of view, her more complex works show evidence of a certain lightness. Riedstra’s works show the process of a driven interaction with the canvas, a battle with lines, colours and planes, which for the artist only subside after a number of transparent layers.
Riedstra’s drive is defined by a continuous quest for the core of her inspiration. In her series ‘Walls of Lisbon’, Riedstra has produced an exact expression of emotions. She has chosen the authentic elements of the city as a part of daily life and the contradictions that lie within. In the grand lies the detail and the detail incorporates the grand.
Again and again, Riedstra takes her audience along on a confrontational journey beyond authentic elements, which through their individual importance start to lead a life of their own on the canvas. In doing so, she avoids any compromise, which results in an intense directness for the viewer. That way Riedstra undoubtedly paints from a renewed contemporary perspective. Thus, her work maintains tension and originality and yet radiates tranquillity.
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