At Galerie Kunstproeven in Maastricht you will discover a diverse group of artists and makers. Their work includes paintings, ceramics, photography, jewellery and design objects. The collection spans expressive abstract painting, narrative sculpture, refined ceramic pieces and handcrafted jewellery. Each artist contributes a unique perspective, creating a vibrant spectrum of contemporary art and design within the gallery. Explore our artists below and be inspired by their stories, techniques and vision.
Liliane Konings
Liliane Konings is a visual artist and the founder of Galerie Kunstproeven in Maastricht. In her studio she creates paintings in an expressive abstract style, driven by a sense of movement and energy. Her process often begins in chaos, where action and reaction follow one another until an image emerges that she instinctively recognizes as her own. She works with fluid, fast-drying media that allow for layering and rhythm. Lines play a central role in her compositions, carrying the stories her work evokes. Alongside her own artistic practice, Liliane hosts one-day workshops in expressive acrylic painting and other creative techniques, with a special focus on collage and working with epoxy.
Marian Bonnemayers studied at the Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts, working with materials such as wood, metal, clay, plastics and textiles. During her studies, a recurring theme emerged: the human figure. In her current work, she emphasises body language. How someone stands or moves — slumped, upright, turned towards another or away — reveals a great deal about how a person feels and relates to others. For Marian, “people watching” is a favourite pastime. She deliberately leaves things out in her work so the viewer must complete the picture and create meaning.
Lief van Himbeeck studied painting at Sint Lukas Brussels and has since developed a multifaceted practice. Her work spans painting and tile decorations to ceramics, porcelain and jewellery. Human and animal forms appear again and again — sometimes in narrative scenes, sometimes woven subtly into colours and textures drawn from nature. Each season she presents a new collection, from hand-painted tealight holders to refined ornaments.
Under the name FieOriginalArt, Sylvia Veldheer works across materials such as porcelain, silver, paper and clay. Her practice includes paintings, collages, silverwork and ceramic/porcelain sculptures. She draws inspiration from life’s events; Alzheimer’s disease in her family brought the story of Alice in Wonderland into her work as a thread, in which estrangement and the distortion of reality play a central role. At Galerie Kunstproeven she presents a collection of cast porcelain works.
Under the name BONX, Gerty Bongers creates objects born from her fascination with history and the stories objects carry. She explores everything she encounters — from thrift shops and flea markets to exhibitions and museums — and is passionate about collecting and recycling. From found materials she creates new, mostly three-dimensional compositions. For Gerty, the challenge lies in seeing objects differently and combining them into surprising new wholes. Her name BONX playfully references the first three letters of her surname, with a little “x”.
Mia America
Mia America works with clay to create sculptures where imagination and emotion come together. Her subjects are often women — conscious of their strength, taking joy in life, and revelling in femininity. Some works begin from a carefully worked-out plan, while others arise more spontaneously, from intuition. She draws inspiration from small, everyday moments that invite awe or reflection. Her ceramic sculptures are marked by flair and a dash of humour, with playful winks and surprising details. At Galerie Kunstproeven she presents a selection of her sculptures.
Marianne van den Berg studied at Design Academy Eindhoven and Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam (graphic design, advertising and photography). After a career outside the arts she dedicated herself fully to sculpture about ten years ago. Her sculptures are intuitive and emotionally charged. She shows the human form without exactness — recognition lies in suggestion. Form and deformation play a major role; shapes find their way from feeling rather than pure thought. Patination is her own process, adding extra character. Marianne’s works are powerful and fragile at once, inviting touch and contemplation. At Galerie Kunstproeven she presents recent works showcasing this tension: stillness and movement, openness and inner atmosphere.
From her studio in Weert, Jealine Bos works with clay and calls herself a ‘maker of delicate matters’. She creates exclusive handmade candlesticks — each slightly different in details, from the tips to the knobs, and always with unique glazes. Her work stands out through bold gestures: thick, sometimes dripping layers of glaze, outspoken colours and daring combinations that still retain harmony — often lifted with a subtle touch of gold. Jealine loves experimentation and contrast. She sees her sculptural candlesticks as abstract paintings in ceramics, where form and surface both contribute to expression.
Guus Smeets works with textiles and ceramics. Her work often emerges from an unconscious realm — dreams, associations, images from nature, books and colours encountered in everyday life. She starts with a plan or a set-up, but then lets the work take on a life of its own. She uses drawings on paper stitched onto fabric, or draws directly on textiles. Many of her experiments are made with the sewing machine, which creates lines that tell stories. Often she depicts women, animals or combinations of the two. Materials and techniques include textile ink, watercolour, pencil, crayon, wax pastel and yarns, often on transparent fabrics viewable from both sides; she sometimes cuts openings that emphasise transparency and layering. At Galerie Kunstproeven we present a selection where this mix — transparency, layering and narrative lines — comes to the fore.
Cel Dewaide (b. 1964) is a draftsman, poet and musician living and working in Maastricht. His work moves seamlessly between word and image: he ‘sees’ text as he writes, and his drawings and paintings read like poetry. Text and image often intertwine; at first glance the connection may seem loose, but appearances deceive — his poems reinforce the visual work, and his images give space to language. His work balances between melancholy and zest for life, stillness and expressive impulse. At Galerie Kunstproeven Cel presents both his visual work and his poetry.
The Tabitha Sowden Jewellery collection explores the flexibility and versatility of clay to design sculptural silver rings. Beginning with clay allows a high degree of experimentation; the result is not predetermined but emerges from a hands-on approach and a dynamic response to the material throughout the design process. The focus is on visual impact, flowing forms, comfort and wearability.
Mart van Golde has worked as an independent visual artist since 1976, from his home studio in Maastricht. He works in a loose, light style in which drawings, cartoons and greeting cards feature prominently. His current work in the gallery consists of original figurative drawings with quick lines — often in pencil or brush — sometimes supported by colour planes. His recognisable style is evident in airy compositions where text often forms part of the image. Galerie Kunstproeven offers original work and a small selection of art prints; his greeting cards are also available — cheerful, familiar and with that typical touch of humour.
After graduating in Sculpture and Spatial Art at the Genk Academy, Gonny Scheuerman developed a practice spanning styles from classical-academic to abstract. The human and the natural world play central roles. She gives form to her imagination in various materials, favouring bronze. In her sculptures emotion, form and matter come together, inviting reflection on human vulnerability and natural beauty. Galerie Kunstproeven presents a selection of her bronze works.
Helmi Coenders
Based in Weert, Helmi Coenders teaches textiles and visual arts at RICK (Regional Institute for Culture and Arts Education). She studied Fashion Design at ABK Maastricht and previously worked as a print designer and colourist in textile printing. Helmi designs in a stylised way. She collects materials and imagery in quantity, then makes selections to bring order to the chaos. What remains is what has meaning. In that process, pleasure is the driving force — ‘THE FUN’.
Germa Snakkers of BBBaG gives old leather a second life, salvaging leather from used sofas. After disassembly and cleaning she has beautiful material to work with. From there, she creates unique bags that emphasise personality. Working with existing leather not only yields distinctive designs but also encounters and stories that continue to inspire her. Each piece is unique and carries its own history.
Jenny Roost studied sculpture at the Municipal Academy of Visual Arts in Genk. She works with playful, spatial forms in bronze and composite materials and creates wearable, distinctive jewellery pieces. Her design process is intuitive and driven by inspiration — by ‘just doing’ new, contemporary designs emerge that, despite their variety, clearly bear her hand. Galerie Kunstproeven shows a selection that highlights this dynamic: characterful sculptures and jewellery combining flair and finesse.
Ira Lenssen-Bruls is a product designer, educated at Design Academy Eindhoven and the Jan van Eyck Academy in Maastricht. Under the name ira b., she gives used banners a new life, with a keen eye for form, colour, detail and sustainability. She also develops and leads creative projects for children aged 4 to 16, in collaboration with schools in Limburg, SCHUNCK Heerlen and CMK Sittard. Working with your hands, sparking imagination, joy and sustainability are at the core. Galerie Kunstproeven shows a mix of her design work. order.ira.b@gmail.com
Wiel Essers
Wiel Essers lives and works in Maastricht. For more than fifty years he was a top hairdresser, internationally recognised and winner of the Hair Innovation Award, and he designed for the Alternative Hair Show for years. He now devotes himself fully to his art practice. His work revolves around beauty, emotion and suggestion. He creates sculptures (sometimes using human hair), uses responsive materials and creates from personal feeling. His artistic force lies in making imagination visible, not through exactness but through impressions. Galerie Kunstproeven shows recent works where his aim is clear: stay true to yourself and let beauty speak. His motto: “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.”
Huub Verheijden studied Free Graphics with Erwin Oosterbosch at the Genk Academy. He feels at home in printmaking, with a special love for woodcut, etching and the almost forgotten mezzotint. His work is figurative, infused with poetry, estrangement, irony and sometimes a touch of absurdity. He avoids spectacle; he seeks the tension between what is seen and what is imagined — freedom within a system of constraints.
Ria van der Linden studied Monumental Design at the Kampen Art Academy in the 1980s. Since then, she has worked as a print designer and screen printer — first in Wageningen, and since 1996 in Ede. Under the name Zeebra-Zeefdruk she takes on commissions for fashion, interior and theatre designers. In her studio she also makes products of her own design — cushions, curtains, canvases and often printed upholstery fabrics. Galerie Kunstproeven presents a small collection of her high-quality cushions, each with its own design using upholstery fabrics and unique prints — no two pieces are the same.
Oil paint, paper and balance — that’s all. This power of simplicity is the goal of Cilly Vlemmix, fashion designer and visual artist. Since 2018 she has worked on a series of artworks in which form, colour and material are reduced to their essence. Reducing a form to the minimum requires discipline; the visible details must together create a whole and a palpable tension. The search for simplicity and harmony is her challenge in everything she makes.
Corine Ritzen
Based in Gronsveld, ceramicist and teacher Corine Ritzen graduated in fine arts from the Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts. After years among cows and goats she discovered her passion for clay. She works both on the wheel and by hand. She draws inspiration from natural forms, textures and line work. Her vases and wall plates are characterised by a red line drawing accentuating the forms. Galerie Kunstproeven shows a selection of her vases and wall plates in which these red line drawings and her craftsmanship stand out.
Ton Eyssen makes assemblages where reality and imagination meet. He collects existing materials, natural elements and everyday objects never intended as art. By carefully dismantling and recombining them, he reveals unexpected connections so the objects take on new character and layered meaning. For Ton this is a way to make an inner world visible through tangible things we often overlook.
Marlou photographs with an eye for detail. By zooming in, reality transforms — the recognisable acquires an estranged, almost magical quality. Nature, architecture and the colours of her beloved island Sardinia are major sources of inspiration. Her work appears in various forms: photos on square blocks, collages on wood and collage cards. The collages on wood are finished with a transparent epoxy layer; her Polaroids are displayed with a small block, giving each work its own character. Galerie Kunstproeven presents a selection of these works.
Ilse Konings — Fancy Fleece
Under the name Fancy Fleece, Ilse Konings publishes her Take Care Collection of greeting cards — colourful, surprising designs based on collages, not run of the mill, intended for sending a note “just because someone came to mind”. Her designs are also used on notebooks and arty sketchpads. Galerie Kunstproeven offers her cards, including numbered sets and gift items.
