I have always been interested in the opposite sex, on both a sexual and a mental level; they have always seemed to me to be exotic, strange but ultimately mysterious. Women seem to have way more fun with their clothes than men, in the 60’s I developed a strong interest in women’s clothes. Later, with the addition of make up and different wigs, I experimented with my female look. I invented my female alter ego – Trisha van Cleef and ventured out into the world. It was only a matter of time, of course, before I wondered to myself how she would express herself creatively.
Trisha works very fast, seldom spending more than 20 minutes creating a painting or a piece of furniture. She uses diverse materials including stockings and panty hose, adhesives, found objects and a variety of paints and varnishes. She particularly enjoys mixing different kinds of paint or varnish together just to see what happens. Trisha never signs or titles her work, instead she uses a rubber stamp of her signature & each piece has to be titled by visitors to her studio & authenticated by Paul.
Paul and Trisha have had a series of “One man‚ One woman” art shows together. The works compliment each other and reflect two distinctly different gender expressions. Trisha’s paintings have also been used on several CD covers and recently she was asked to “stretch” a Mercedes Benz. The highlight for me was being invited to be the third girl in the “Sonja, Lisa & Trisha” art show in downtown L.A.
Trisha has a very strong sense of style and an almost theatrical understanding of the feminine aspects which she needs to emphasize and those to play down when she presents herself to the world – “age defying” cosmetics and an understanding of make-up also help. Many of her female friends recognize this style and have given her some beautiful additions to her wardrobe over the years.
TRICIA VAN CLEEF: SELECTED WORKS
