About the Artist
Conchita Sandau was born in Rotterdam (The Netherlands) in 1971, where she was raised as the youngest of 6 siblings to an immigrant family from Cadiz, in the South of Spain.
She grew up between two worlds that were both rich in in art and culture. She started drawing and painting from a young age, immersing herself in multiple mediums and materials. Encouraged by other artists in her family she focussed on art and languages in high school. Inspired by the famous Spanish and Dutch painters that she was learning about, she wanted to become an artist.
But as it often happens, her hard working immigrant parents did not think that would be a viable career and wanted her to pursue other academic studies instead.
Skilled in multiple languages, she went on to obtain a college degree in International hostess, tourism & events and went on to work for various international corporations in Europe. She eventually moved to Spain, where she soon met her now husband from Ajax (ON), and where she now lives since 2005.
While living & working in Europe and building a new life in Canada, she continued to draw and paint, further developing her skills as a self-taught artist. She took various online classes and workshops, studying other artists and their techniques.
She realized early on that art helped her connect with people and after moving to Canada, it also helped her to stay connected to her family and her roots back home.
After some delay due to the Pandemic, she had her first art exhibition at the Ajax Town Hall in December of 2022, where she displayed different works inspired by her daily life in the beautiful lakefront community of Ajax by the Lake.
Her work is best described as representational or figurative with a preference for portraiture but she does not limit herself to one subject matter or style.
In her current works she draws inspiration from her childhood memories as well as the stories that people share with her of their own life experiences. Her work allows her to connect with people on a deeper level and to bring a vulnerability to her pieces that evoke a sense of nostalgia and joy. Regardless of the subject matter of her commissions, the story behind them allows her to capture a special meaning, feeling or memory that the client or viewer can connect to emotionally.
She works mainly in acrylics, oils, gouache, graphite and charcoal, and is a firm believer that an artist never stops learning or evolving. She continues to explore other mediums and techniques which allow her to be a very versatile and adaptable artist.
She grew up between two worlds that were both rich in in art and culture. She started drawing and painting from a young age, immersing herself in multiple mediums and materials. Encouraged by other artists in her family she focussed on art and languages in high school. Inspired by the famous Spanish and Dutch painters that she was learning about, she wanted to become an artist.
But as it often happens, her hard working immigrant parents did not think that would be a viable career and wanted her to pursue other academic studies instead.
Skilled in multiple languages, she went on to obtain a college degree in International hostess, tourism & events and went on to work for various international corporations in Europe. She eventually moved to Spain, where she soon met her now husband from Ajax (ON), and where she now lives since 2005.
While living & working in Europe and building a new life in Canada, she continued to draw and paint, further developing her skills as a self-taught artist. She took various online classes and workshops, studying other artists and their techniques.
She realized early on that art helped her connect with people and after moving to Canada, it also helped her to stay connected to her family and her roots back home.
After some delay due to the Pandemic, she had her first art exhibition at the Ajax Town Hall in December of 2022, where she displayed different works inspired by her daily life in the beautiful lakefront community of Ajax by the Lake.
Her work is best described as representational or figurative with a preference for portraiture but she does not limit herself to one subject matter or style.
In her current works she draws inspiration from her childhood memories as well as the stories that people share with her of their own life experiences. Her work allows her to connect with people on a deeper level and to bring a vulnerability to her pieces that evoke a sense of nostalgia and joy. Regardless of the subject matter of her commissions, the story behind them allows her to capture a special meaning, feeling or memory that the client or viewer can connect to emotionally.
She works mainly in acrylics, oils, gouache, graphite and charcoal, and is a firm believer that an artist never stops learning or evolving. She continues to explore other mediums and techniques which allow her to be a very versatile and adaptable artist.
Artist Statement
There is so much beauty in everything around us that can be inspiring. But what inspires me the most are the people I meet on my art journey.
Art for me, is all about making deeper meaningful connections. I am inquisitive and curious by nature, and especially intrigued by the stories people share with me in the process of a commission. I love to learn what they are passionate about, where they come from, about their culture, the places they’ve been, and the stories about the people and things they love or miss.
It is so humbling and special when someone you don't really know, invites you in to learn about that personal story behind the commission they have in mind. Nothing is more rewarding to me than to be able to capture the essence of that place, thing, family pet or person that means so much to them, and touch their heart. Especially with portraits.
When you see that moment happening it is so sincere and involuntarily. It is that split second of widening eyes, a gasp of surprise, that is when you know you might have surpassed their expectations, that they recognize something special that touches them deeply.
To witness that moment... that's magic!
Art for me, is all about making deeper meaningful connections. I am inquisitive and curious by nature, and especially intrigued by the stories people share with me in the process of a commission. I love to learn what they are passionate about, where they come from, about their culture, the places they’ve been, and the stories about the people and things they love or miss.
It is so humbling and special when someone you don't really know, invites you in to learn about that personal story behind the commission they have in mind. Nothing is more rewarding to me than to be able to capture the essence of that place, thing, family pet or person that means so much to them, and touch their heart. Especially with portraits.
When you see that moment happening it is so sincere and involuntarily. It is that split second of widening eyes, a gasp of surprise, that is when you know you might have surpassed their expectations, that they recognize something special that touches them deeply.
To witness that moment... that's magic!
Enrique Arjona Rojas (1924-1988)
My father was one of my biggest influences and his memory inspires me still.
He and his family survived the cruelties of the Spanish Civil War when he was very young. Grandparents that I never got to know had to flee, with him and his siblings, into the mountains and leave everything behind so they would not be arrested or worse, killed. Losing everything, their home and belongings ransacked, destroyed or stolen by the Franco regime. Then surviving the extreme poverty in Spain during and after the Civil War. Not being able to learn much more in school than to read and write and having to go off to work as a young boy to help care for the family.
He sacrificed everything once more to provide a better life for his own young family by moving to The Netherlands by himself in 1961 and they could finally join him in 1965.
While he worked hard all his life, he was also very creative and could make anything he set his mind to. He read a lot of books, taught himself to cook, carve wood, make large decorative rugs and to repair or build anything. He was amazing with his hands, a very extrovert person who made friends very easily and loved a good time. Unfortunately I lost him too soon, but if I learned anything from my father it is that you can do anything you set your mind to, that family and friends are very important, and to treat people the way you would like to be treated. As humble as he was, he would never have called himself an artist but to me that's what he was.
My father was one of my biggest influences and his memory inspires me still.
He and his family survived the cruelties of the Spanish Civil War when he was very young. Grandparents that I never got to know had to flee, with him and his siblings, into the mountains and leave everything behind so they would not be arrested or worse, killed. Losing everything, their home and belongings ransacked, destroyed or stolen by the Franco regime. Then surviving the extreme poverty in Spain during and after the Civil War. Not being able to learn much more in school than to read and write and having to go off to work as a young boy to help care for the family.
He sacrificed everything once more to provide a better life for his own young family by moving to The Netherlands by himself in 1961 and they could finally join him in 1965.
While he worked hard all his life, he was also very creative and could make anything he set his mind to. He read a lot of books, taught himself to cook, carve wood, make large decorative rugs and to repair or build anything. He was amazing with his hands, a very extrovert person who made friends very easily and loved a good time. Unfortunately I lost him too soon, but if I learned anything from my father it is that you can do anything you set your mind to, that family and friends are very important, and to treat people the way you would like to be treated. As humble as he was, he would never have called himself an artist but to me that's what he was.