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.

Her non-traditional path continues to shape her practice. She combines graphic instincts with illusion-based compositions and perspectives influenced by her lived experience as a foster parent.

Having attended the Kunst Academy, s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands (University of the Art), Wendy van Boxtel has developed a body of work 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. Wendy Van Boxtel brings deep emotional insight to her work through her own experience as a foster parent. Her art highlights the importance of belonging, care, and stability for children in the foster system, while raising awareness and inspiring others to consider becoming foster parents.

STATEMENT

An immigrant from the Netherlands, a foster and adoptive parent, and a storyteller of lived experiences, Wendy van Boxtel 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, perspective, and emotional truth. By merging painted optical effects with distorted, seemingly three-dimensional forms, she blurs the line between painting and sculpture. At first glance, a piece may appear fragmented or unclear, but when the viewer shifts position, the work begins to reveal structure, meaning, and clarity.

Van Boxtel’s art is rooted in transformation, growth, strength, and change. Her work reflects a journey from confusion, instability, and uncertainty toward safety, understanding, and hope. Viewers are invited to look beyond the surface, to find pieces of themselves within the work, and to connect with the resilience carried inside each piece.

Balancing humor with emotional resonance, Wendy creates work that sparks curiosity, reflection, and interaction. She wants her art to whisper, to shout, to sing, and to call people in. Each piece becomes an immersive invitation to pause, explore, and rediscover what it means to see differently.

Her practice is a powerful testament to how one caring perspective, one act of understanding, or one moment of compassion can help rewrite a future.

As a foster parent myself, I am an advocate for growing the number of foster and adoptive families around the world. Too many children are still waiting for safe, loving homes, and I believe awareness can help change that.

As the founder of a new global resource, www.betherefuge.com I created this platform where people can find foster care and adoption information specific to their own country. The website has launched and continues to grow, with more countries, organizations, and resources being added over time.

As the platform expands, it will be accessible through QR codes at my exhibitions and across my online pages, making it easier for people to take the first step toward fostering or adopting and helping a child find a safe, loving home.