When paper becomes painting: Donald Schenkel’s approach to oil on paper
Minimal surfaces and the presence of colour
At first glance, it is not immediately clear that some of Donald Schenkel’s paintings are made on paper. From a distance, and even at normal viewing height, the surface reads as a finished, solid painting, not as a sketch, study, or lighter version of his work. That is precisely why these pieces appear in our painting section rather than under “works on paper”.
In Donald’s practice, paper functions as a full, stable painting support. Each work is mounted on Dibond, sealed, and framed in wood, giving it the same presence and durability as his canvas and panel pieces. The material may differ, but the intention and the result are unmistakably painterly.
Detail of Last Shimmer by Donald Schenkel
A practice defined by technique
Donald’s work has long been centred on how oil paint behaves across a surface. Earlier paintings were known for their smooth colour fields: slow gradients, subtle transitions, and a clarity that made the image feel suspended between material and light.
In recent years his process has shifted. His new wet-in-wet technique - executed in a single, decisive layer - invites both precision and unpredictability. Movements must be exact; corrections are impossible. Pigments merge, edges break, and the surface captures every nuance of the process.
This is where paper becomes interesting. Its fine texture makes even the smallest transitions visible. Works such as Last Shimmer or The Last Sunset show how gently the colour settles, holding a depth that feels almost illuminated from within.
By Donald Schenkel
Oil on paper
57 × 43 cm, 2025
Wooden frame included
“Last Shimmer” belongs to Donald Schenkel’s new Real World Renders series, created for Root Gallery’s 2025 programme.
Through this body of work, Schenkel continues his exploration of how light, colour, and material interact to shape perception. Painted in a single wet-in-wet layer, each work demands complete control and acceptance of unpredictability, gradients merge, pigments shift, and no correction is possible.
On paper, the delicacy of oil paint becomes even more pronounced. Subtle transitions unfold across the surface, suggesting a digital glow that remains grounded in pure material presence.
Framed in walnut, Last Shimmer evokes both warmth and contemplation, the final glimmer of daylight, suspended between certainty and change.
Delivery within the Netherlands and Belgium is arranged in consultation, either in person or securely shipped.
By Donald Schenkel
57 x 32 cm, 2025
Oil paint on paper with walnut frame
In The Last Sunset (2025), Donald Schenkel captures the moment where day dissolves into night through the slow layering of oil paint. Working with a traditional glazing technique, he builds depth and luminosity without visible brushstrokes. The colour shift, from deep violet to warm orange and pale blue, evokes the lingering light of dusk, suspended between presence and disappearance.
Delivery within the Netherlands and Belgium is arranged in consultation, either in person or securely shipped.
A surface that stays close to the eye
Paper brings a different kind of presence to Donald’s paintings. It records detail without becoming fragile, and once mounted on Dibond, it becomes a firm, stable object. Only from very close - often just a few centimetres away - do you notice the quality of the paper beneath the paint.
In works like Between Past and Future and New Gradiant No. 1 , the newer, more physical movements remain crisp on the surface, giving the painting a sense of immediacy. In other pieces, the colour gradients hold a calmness that recalls his earlier series, yet the paper gives the light a slightly sharper clarity.
By Donald Schenkel
58 x 46 cm, 2024
oil paint on paper, on dibond with walnut wood frame
Donald Schenkel creates subtle colour gradients with oil paint that express rhythm, depth and serenity. All of his works result from a dialogue with the materials in question. Approaching oil paint as a material that exposes the qualities and characteristics of pigments and colours, Donald is able to evoke impressions of translucency and reflections, creating a sense of endless space and light. There is also the depth expressed by shadows and dark gradients in which the lighter colours seem to dissolve. These gradients contain a soothing subtlety that makes them the natural viewpoint for contemplation; a sense of silent wonder.
Delivery within the Netherlands and Belgium is arranged in consultation, either in person or securely shipped.
By Donald Schenkel
59 x 46 cm, 2024
Oil paint on paper, on dibond with walnut wood frame
Donald Schenkel has recently developed a unique, brushless approach that infuses the canvas with dynamic energy and expressive movement. The innovative technique highlights his ability to explore the intrinsic and materialistic qualities of pigments and colors, creating vivid impressions of translucency and reflection. This panel’s vibrant, loose strokes invite viewers into a world of endless space and light, evoking a sense of vitality and spontaneity.
Delivery within the Netherlands and Belgium is arranged in consultation, either in person or securely shipped.
One visual language across different materials
Whether Donald works on canvas, aluminium, wood or paper, the intention behind each piece remains the same. He focuses on how colour behaves, how movement settles into the surface, and how a painting can hold either calm or tension depending on the choices he makes. These are finished works, not lighter versions or studies, and the use of paper does nothing to diminish their depth or permanence.
Paper simply brings its own qualities. The paint sits a little closer to the surface, small nuances become more visible, and transitions gain a clear, refined edge. Once mounted on Dibond and framed in wood, the work has the same presence as his paintings on other supports. The result is not defined by the material underneath, but by the consistency of his visual language and the clarity of the decisions that shape each painting.
You are warmly invited to schedule a studio visit, where you can take the time to see Donald’s paintings up close and experience their full presence in person.
