Vera de Regt

Photographer: Judith Harmsen

Your work often blends emotion and imagination. What emotions do you find yourself returning to most frequently in your art?

Lately, my work has been shaped and inspired mostly by grief. I often return to visualizing feelings of sorrow, longing, tenderness, intimacy, and comfort. These emotions keep resurfacing, and I try to give them space and form through my art.

Over time, I’ve come to realize that visualizing these kinds of emotions is the way I want to create art, it feels like the most honest and true expression of myself. While I really value beautiful illustrations, I want them to carry something deeper as well, to hold an extra layer of meaning or emotion. I try to do this through a form of figurative surrealism, using imaginative or symbolic elements to translate these feelings into visual stories.

Vera de Regt | 26 September | 2018

Nature appears frequently in your illustrations. What role does the natural world play in your creative process?

Nature is a theme I return to again and again in my work, especially the relationship between humans and the natural world. It’s an endless source of inspiration with its different colors, shapes, and beings. But beyond that, in moments of intense emotion like grief, nature has felt healing and grounding to me, even like home. It offers a humbling perspective, reminding us that we’re part of something vast and interconnected. I find that comforting, which is why nature often finds its way into my illustrations.

My background in anthropology and forest and nature conservation has also shaped the way I think about nature. It’s enriched my understanding of how people relate to the natural world, not just as individuals, but across cultures and histories. It’s helped me see nature not just as a setting, but as something deeply woven into our lives and identities. That perspective flows naturally into my creative process.

Vera de Regt | Comfort | 2025

You describe your recent work as reflecting “quiet kinds of comfort.” What does comfort look or feel like for you?

In the past few years I’ve learned what I need and what comfort really means to me. I find it in solitude, in having a quiet home to retreat to, where I can reflect and just be. I find it in nature, which calms my mind with its stillness and vastness. And I find it in making, whether painting or doing pottery, because it brings me into the present moment. For me, comfort is about having time and space to feel, to slow down, and to simply exist.

Vera de Regt | Eva | 2025

As a self-taught illustrator, what were some of the biggest challenges and breakthroughs on your artistic journey?

I’m still at the beginning of my journey as an illustrator, even though I’ve always known, somewhere deep down, that I wanted to be one. For a long time, I didn’t dare to take that step, partly because I hadn’t studied art, and I didn’t see myself as a ‘real’ artist. That hesitation held me back for years.

The biggest challenge therefore was learning to let go of fear and self-doubt. The real breakthrough came when I finally decided to share my work with the world and see what would happen. Since then, I’ve felt more like myself than ever before. The positive responses and new experiences have filled me with new energy and confidence, and now I’m only excited to see how this artistic journey will unfold.

Vera de Regt | Pottery | 2025

How has grief influenced your work? Are there specific experiences that shaped your recent illustrations?

My mother passed away in 2018 from lung cancer. Ever since she got sick, I’ve been consumed by the complex emotions that come with grief. This process has deeply influenced my work. Creating has helped me express myself in ways that words couldn’t, it’s been a way to process everything, as a kind of meditation. My grief feels very personal and intimate, and sharing it through my work is scary and exposing. But I also know it resonates with many people. There’s something beautiful in the way grief is both very intimate and universal at the same time.

Vera de Regt | Forest | 2025

Do you have a particular piece that feels especially personal or meaningful to you? Why?

My painting Eva. It was the first time I depicted myself in such a vulnerable way. It captures a feeling I’ve had often over the past seven years: a quiet, tender sorrow that fills both body and the space around me. There were many moments where I was trying to move through daily life but actually just wanted to lie down and rest my heavy head and heart. This painting was also the first time I created the blue character ‘Eva’ that represents myself. Blue is my favorite color, but here it also symbolizes calmness and sadness, both central to the painting’s mood.

Vera de Regt | Take Care | 2025

What artists, movements, or books have inspired you the most?

Artists that immediately come to mind are Hockney and Van Gogh. I’m especially drawn to their way of portraying nature and their use of color; the way they combine colors in expressive ways really resonates with me. Hockney’s bright, bold palettes bring such a vivid energy to his work, while Van Gogh’s use of color often feels more emotional and atmospheric. I admire how both artists use color not just to depict nature, but to evoke feeling, something I try to do in my own work as well.