His working process allows de Rooij to explore both the characteristics of place and time in the mountains and the significance of mountain regions in his own life. His deep sense of appreciation and concern for our natural environments is palpable and these themes are becoming an increasingly important part of his artistic research.
In his work, de Rooij isolates elements from the geology and architecture of mountainous regions in Europe (primarily Alps, Jura, Vosges). Mountainous architecture stands alone under a wide sky overlooking valleys. Geological phenomena are present in prints like "Diepe Tijd" (Deep Time) and 'Source', woodcuts on Jura limestone. Layers of bedrock lie on top of each other, revealing a long and distant geological history. De Rooij visits these mountainous regions regularly to hike, write and give his printmaking courses on site. Here the worktitle ‘Les Reliefs‘ originated, referring to both the relief printing technique, as well as the mountains themselves.
De Rooij studied Fine Art & Design in Education at the Utrecht School of Arts (HKU).
Printmaking
Maurice’s printmaking is an artisanal practice. All lino- and woodblock prints are designed, carved and pressed by hand with an etching press in his studio in Utrecht, the Netherlands. The inks used are non-toxic, professional oil & soy-based inks. Every print is numbered by hand. When you look for a print in my webshop, you can find the quantity of prints printed from that specific design the product description . On your purchased print, you will find your edition number plus the total amount of prints in that edition, divided by ‘ / ‘. In the middle, you will find the title of the artwork, and on the right hand sight the signature of the artist. (A merge of ‘M’ and ‘A’, initials of the artist.)
