Marijke Gilchrist is a Dutch-born Australian artist whose work reflects a longstanding fascination with the natural environment, landscape and the expressive possibilities of different painting techniques.
Born in the Netherlands, she migrated to Australia with her parents in the early 1950s. She subsequently settled in Canberra, where she has lived for more than five decades and established her studio, known as The Hive.
Marijke has exhibited her work since 1973, exploring oil painting, mixed media, collage and silk-dyeing techniques. In 2013, she discovered encaustic painting, an ancient technique involving layers of heated beeswax, natural resin and pigments. This became a central focus of her artistic practice.
Her encaustic works often draw inspiration from the Australian landscape, coastlines and natural environment. The technique allows her to create richly textured surfaces, incorporating materials such as silk, leaves, shells and other found objects.
Her exhibition From the Hive – Swarming to the Calyx, presented at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, forms part of a series of exhibitions exploring the relationship between art, nature and the distinctive qualities of encaustic painting.
Marijke’s artistic career also represents a contribution to Australia’s cultural life by a member of the post-war Dutch migrant generation.
Source: Marijke Gilchrist – From the Hive, artist biography and exhibition history.
