introduction
Welcome to Gesina Liedmeier's website.
Gesina Liedmeier is a very versatile artist and craftswoman. She makes bowed historical instruments, plays the viol and musical saw, carves images in wood and other materials, does restoration and conservation of historical instruments and sculptures, paints with historical painting techniques, illustrates, and teaches in various settings. The threads running through her work are her interest in history, her skillfull craftsmanship and the power of her imagination. She prefers to use old techniques, not from a sense of obligation, but because the results are so much better.
Artist statement
Poignancy, solace, layeredness. Gesina wishes to touch and nurture the flow of life, opening up space for resonance.
Using her exquisite senses and experienced hands, Gesina works with love and devotion to transform natural and humble materials into powerful and refined storytellers.
These storytellers may be musical instruments, fine carvings or paintings, and are usually a combination of all three.
In her work, she draws upon her extensive knowledge of historic techniques to produce wonderful results.
Sophisticated, simultaneously raw and refined, her work invites a broadening of perspective, and is deep, intriguing and moving.


Gesina is a master in several fields. She has made historical string instruments to order for over 25 years now, in particular the viola da gamba and its predecessors. She also performs as a professional viol player. Other strings to her bow include intricate fine carving, and painting.
Her canvas is often a utilitarian object, such as a jewellery box, a reliquary, carved lettering, or a piece of jewellery. Gesina enjoys working on commission, empathising with her client to discover what touches them. By doing so, she helps them to discover a personal story which she then expresses in the form of a unique object.
Biography
Gesina was born in Horssen, the Netherlands in 1966 More »
as the third daughter to a father who was a history teacher and a mother who taught classical languages.
As a child she taught herself to play the recorder and also took guitar lessons. She enjoyed drawing and crafts, made fine cutouts in paper and wrote stories.
After gymnasium she studied viol at the conservatories in Lyons, France, and the Hague in the Netherlands. Her teachers were F.Borstlap, M. Mueller and W. Kuyken.
She's played in many productions and ensembles and has been a member of the Spirit of Gambo viol consort since its foundation.
After Conservatory she studied historical instrument making in West Dean College, England and with P. Jaquier in Cucuron, France. Private funding supported her research on old viols in the Nuerenberg, Lisbon and the Hague museum collections. Her precision and integrity were so valued by the Gemeentemuseum of the Hague that she's regularly been doing conservation work for the collection of musical instruments there since 1998.
Her initial participation in exhibitions of historical instrument exhibitions in Berlin, Paris and London immediately generated many commissions for viols, and since then there's been a waiting list.
On the whole, her viols have a mild, warm sound. She strives for a sound that's deep, full and broad rather than high and strong. Being a viol player, it's self evident that ease of playing is important for Gesina.
She developed her carving technique through sculpting the heads for her instruments. Her force of imagination was greater than that which format of the heads allowed, so more diverse wood carvings evolved, sculptures, engraved letterings, puppets, and a rocking horse.
In 2010 Gesina completed the museum school at the Catharijneconvent Museum, Utrecht. Her teachers there were Lukas Stofferis and Micha Leeflang. She studied the principles of painting with tempera, early oil painting technique and polychromy. She feels completely at home with these techniques. The use of wood panels, hot glues, planes and scrapers, pigments, resins and oils is self evident in a studio where viols are made. Gesina is thoroughly familiar with these tools and materials.
Illustration is a recent discovery. She's done the illustrations for an educational music project in primary schools (Muziek=Klasse, De Nieuwe Muziekschool, Druten).
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Gesina Liedmeier is a very versatile artist and craftswoman. She makes bowed historical instruments, plays the viol and musical saw, carves images in wood and other materials, does restoration and conservation of historical instruments and sculptures, paints with historical painting techniques, illustrates, and teaches in various settings. The threads running through her work are her interest in history, her skillfull craftsmanship and the power of her imagination. She prefers to use old techniques, not from a sense of obligation, but because the results are so much better.
Artist statement
Poignancy, solace, layeredness. Gesina wishes to touch and nurture the flow of life, opening up space for resonance.
Using her exquisite senses and experienced hands, Gesina works with love and devotion to transform natural and humble materials into powerful and refined storytellers.
These storytellers may be musical instruments, fine carvings or paintings, and are usually a combination of all three.
In her work, she draws upon her extensive knowledge of historic techniques to produce wonderful results.
Sophisticated, simultaneously raw and refined, her work invites a broadening of perspective, and is deep, intriguing and moving.


Gesina is a master in several fields. She has made historical string instruments to order for over 25 years now, in particular the viola da gamba and its predecessors. She also performs as a professional viol player. Other strings to her bow include intricate fine carving, and painting.
Her canvas is often a utilitarian object, such as a jewellery box, a reliquary, carved lettering, or a piece of jewellery. Gesina enjoys working on commission, empathising with her client to discover what touches them. By doing so, she helps them to discover a personal story which she then expresses in the form of a unique object.
Biography
Gesina was born in Horssen, the Netherlands in 1966 More »
as the third daughter to a father who was a history teacher and a mother who taught classical languages.
As a child she taught herself to play the recorder and also took guitar lessons. She enjoyed drawing and crafts, made fine cutouts in paper and wrote stories.
After gymnasium she studied viol at the conservatories in Lyons, France, and the Hague in the Netherlands. Her teachers were F.Borstlap, M. Mueller and W. Kuyken.
She's played in many productions and ensembles and has been a member of the Spirit of Gambo viol consort since its foundation.
After Conservatory she studied historical instrument making in West Dean College, England and with P. Jaquier in Cucuron, France. Private funding supported her research on old viols in the Nuerenberg, Lisbon and the Hague museum collections. Her precision and integrity were so valued by the Gemeentemuseum of the Hague that she's regularly been doing conservation work for the collection of musical instruments there since 1998.
Her initial participation in exhibitions of historical instrument exhibitions in Berlin, Paris and London immediately generated many commissions for viols, and since then there's been a waiting list.
On the whole, her viols have a mild, warm sound. She strives for a sound that's deep, full and broad rather than high and strong. Being a viol player, it's self evident that ease of playing is important for Gesina.
She developed her carving technique through sculpting the heads for her instruments. Her force of imagination was greater than that which format of the heads allowed, so more diverse wood carvings evolved, sculptures, engraved letterings, puppets, and a rocking horse.
In 2010 Gesina completed the museum school at the Catharijneconvent Museum, Utrecht. Her teachers there were Lukas Stofferis and Micha Leeflang. She studied the principles of painting with tempera, early oil painting technique and polychromy. She feels completely at home with these techniques. The use of wood panels, hot glues, planes and scrapers, pigments, resins and oils is self evident in a studio where viols are made. Gesina is thoroughly familiar with these tools and materials.
Illustration is a recent discovery. She's done the illustrations for an educational music project in primary schools (Muziek=Klasse, De Nieuwe Muziekschool, Druten).
« Less
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