Specializing in hyperrealistic oil and airbrush portraits, Dutch artist Mari ssa Oosterlee’s art is imbued with grace and purity. Each of her creations invite silent contemplation. The presence of her subjects and the near-photographic realism of their faces immerse the viewer in an almost specular encounter, where one becomes another, as if through a mysterious transference. Her portraits are like a freeze frame- a revelation. The evocation is sensual, sensitive, larger than life, soft and soothing, without artifice. In her series « Washing Away My Sorrow » Marissa Oosterlee paints images of ethereal women floating in clear, shimmering waters that are strikingly realistic. Each stroke of airbrush or brush conveys a sense of weightlessness and serenity, halting time itself. Her treatment of light, of reflections and colours deceives our gaze and her pictorial works become almost photographic. Aesthetics, purity and tranquility are the cornerstones of this series. Marissa is fascinated by the sea and by reflections on the water which constantly give rise to another image of reality, always in motion. Although Marissa likes to paint hyperrealistic images, there is also something abstract in her paintings. These are reminiscent of the distortions, colour changes and depth of field we find underwater. The poetry of water with its abstract lights immerses us in the splendour of this fusion of colours and form, which ultimately contrasts with the unsettling realism of these ethereal faces. It is not complicated to understand that Marissa's paintings are more than just technically astounding. The grace of her subjects is in perfect harmony with the colours and the flow of lines. Fascinating and majestic. © Véronique ADRAÏ - Galerie Courcelles - Paris, FRANCE (All rights reserved)