Merel MAY
Fine Artist
EXPLORING, CREATING & PAINTING
Exploring sparks adventure and discovery.
Creating brings ideas to life.
Painting expresses the soul.
New
Fingers Crossed!
60×80, oil on linnen
This painting captures the immersive stream of challenges today’s children face as they’ll inherit a world in crisis. It speaks to the urgent realities of (climate) change and the looming threat of drowning (literal and symbolic). A sense of unease flows through the composition, nevertheless there’s also hope, embodied in the subtle gesture of crossed fingers.
The brushstrokes highlight the turbulence of the subject matter, creating a sense of movement and emotional urgency. This motion is a reminder, we need to act fast as we are not too late. Fingers crossed we can turn the tide.
Breathtaking
87×56, Oil on linnen
This painting is a personal interpretation of my fear of the changing world. A world that I partially experience myself, but one in which I know my child will be fully immersed. The rising water levels and the drowning child are not merely visual elements; they serve as a metaphor for the many ways in which climate change will affect us all. It is the children, symbolising innocence and vulnerability, who will bear the heaviest consequences. The water is literally and figuratively at their lips.
With this painting, I aim to create a small ripple that could potentially grow into a wave of awareness and change. The portrait serves as an invitation to engage in difficult conversations and inspire the changes that are urgently needed to mitigate the impact of climate change. The way we act now disproportionately impacts the younger generation. However, there is a glimmer of hope—the child has not yet drowned. To turn the tide, we must act now. Surely, we want to pull this child out of the water?!
Between the lines
98×105, oil on linnen
Last year, was a year full of deeper connection to myself. The journey to fully dedicate myself to art has been long and not so easy. Since I moved to Australia, disconnected from my roots, I finally can say I’ve found my path. It has left me both vulnerable and free. My self-portrait ‘Between the Lines’ is a reflection of this transformation. I wear a striped shirt, like the once my mother always wore. As eldest daughter, I grew up feeling surrounded by expectations from others, whether they were truly there or just how I perceived them. Emigration to Australia and experiencing a serious bicycle accident (which left me with two broken elbows) forces a pause. Stripped of (or striped off..) external demands, I found the courage to choose authenticity. Composed of two distinct parts, it highlights tension between outer roles and inner truth. It invites the viewer to look ‘between the lines’, unmasked while embracing myself.
Circle of becoming
120×120, oil on board
Circle of Becoming is a deeply personal portrait of my daughter, painted on a round board to reflect the ongoing nature of growth and memory. The inspiration came from something she once said to me: “Mama, no matter how big I become, I’ll always carry my younger self.” Her words stayed with me, and this painting became a way to share the quiet wisdom in them.
I painted her with her eyes closed—not in sleep, but in reflection. In that stillness, she becomes more than just herself; she becomes a mirror for anyone looking inward, a quiet space to remember the child they once were. Her form is both fragile and strong.
This portrait is a tribute to becoming, and to the quiet persistence of the younger selves we all carry with us. It is about identity and unconditional love, for our loved ones as well as for our (younger) selves.
Party Pooper
30×60, oil on panel
Do you remember those childhood days, feeling nervous with excitement for an upcoming party? Waking up to grey skies and rain, with that sinking feeling of disappointment. A balloon drawn on a foggy window, the simplest symbol of celebration, meets the miserable weather.
But the true “party pooper” isn’t the rain. It’s what we often overlook: the lasting impact of single-use plastics like balloons. While they might bring joy and convenience for a moment, their environmental cost lingers far beyond the festivities. Party Pooper questions the price of our pleasures and the quiet consequences that follow once the party ends.
About
Hi G’day! Goededag! I’m Merel May Tieland-Heilmann, a Dutch-born artist currently based on Bunurong Land*, the Mornington Peninsula. My immigration to Australia in 2023 was a transformative experience, allowing me to fully dedicate myself to my art. Drawing from formal education in Fine Art and Design at ArtEZ Institute of Arts in The Netherlands and a Master’s degree in International Development Studies with a focus on sociology, my work explores the intersection of human experience, environment, and cultural narratives.
My art practice fluidly move between realism and impressionism, emphasizing drawing and painting (primarily oils) while also embracing ceramics and mixed media. I am drawn to subtle moments, intimate scenes, but also seek the deeper layer into these moments. My art is to draw attention on the unknown as well as to reflect and shape our understanding of place and self.
Since relocating to Australia, I have actively engaged with the local art community through residencies at Oak Hill Gallery and Kingston Arts, expanding my creative approaches and connecting with diverse environments and audiences. My work has been featured in exhibitions such as Tangent at Unbound Gallery, Art of Nature at Frankston Art Centre, Footsquare at Aspire Gallery (finalist), and Nostalgia at Untether Gallery. Internationally, my art has been recognized in The Netherlands through exhibitions including Little Art at Caro ART Gallery and as a finalist in the Fragile (Breekbaar) photo exhibition at Coda Museum.
In 2025, I was extremely honored to be a finalist in the prestigious Dutch national TV show Gezonken Meesters in the Gerrit Dou category, highlighting my evolving presence in the realist art scene. My work has also appeared in respected publications including Dutch art magazine Uitwaaien, Art and Women: Life and Creative World of 100 Women Artists, and Australian House and Garden.
Picture by @yannicreative