I am an advocate for increasing the number of foster parents. Currently, thousands of children are sleeping in DSS buildings and motels due to a shortage of available homes. I am developing a dedicated resource page to help guide prospective foster parents through the process. Once completed, it will be accessible through QR codes placed during my art shows, and the link will also be available across my online pages.
STATEMENT
An immigrant from the Netherlands, a foster and adoptive parent, and a storyteller of lived experience, Wendy grounds her art in transformation both personal and perceptual. The chapters of her life shape how she sees the world and how she invites others to see it through her work.
Her practice centers on the interplay between illusion and perspective. By merging painted optical effects with distorted, seemingly three-dimensional forms, she blurs the line between painting and sculpture. From particular angles, forms clarify and meanings shift, prompting viewers to question what is real and how they come to understand it.
Balancing humor with emotional resonance, Wendy creates work that sparks curiosity, reflection, and interaction. She wants her art to whisper, to shout, to sing to call people in. Each piece becomes an immersive invitation to pause, explore, and rediscover.
Bio
Starting at age ten, Wendy van Boxtel trained in traditional Dutch art techniques under a noted local artist, developing a foundation that would later inform her highly experimental approach. After studying activity therapy and immigrating to the United States, she spent several years working in an arts access program for people with special needs, followed by professional experience as a graphic designer.
This non-traditional path continues to shape her practice, merging graphic sensibilities with illusionistic compositions and perspectives influenced by her lived experience as a foster parent.
Though she did not pursue formal academic art training, Van Boxtel’s work has been recognized for its striking visual impact. She creates geometric illusions and hyper-real figures that seem to shift with viewer movement engaging both perception and emotion.
Her work has been exhibited by galleries and collected by audiences locally and internationally. Renowned for her cultural diplomacy and her advocacy for increasing the number of foster parents, Van Boxtel also champions the essential role of the arts within society.
Wendy’s experience as a foster parent further shapes the emotional depth of her work. She highlights the importance of belonging and care for children within the foster system, hoping her art not only amplifies awareness but also encourages others to consider becoming foster parents themselves.