Weijnen paints in the tradition of the old masters from dark to light.
After a first layer of acrylic paint, she mixes various media including oilpaint on to the canvas.
Thereby she creates for her so well known backgrounds in her animal portraits, which form a center between rest and movement.
Weijnen feels inspired by the work of Michaël Borremans, who his bringing his backgrounds to life by his way of painting.
Within Weijnen's work the animals seem to step out of the painting.
To create even more uniqueness she has developed a technique whereby different painting media interact in order to produce a particular type of stain pattern. In the second layer this pattern is becoming part of the composition. It forms a kind of aura around the animal.
Also the sketchiness, the tight brushwork and the sober colors of Borremans are a great role model for her work.
His subjects are not ironed out yet realistic. The work of Weijnen also is the opposite of photographic or refined.
In terms of technique and light use Rembrandt is her big example. With a special lamp she puts her subjects in Rembrandt lighting. Other artists which are inspiring Weijnen are Théodore Géricault en Rosa Bonheur.
Gericault painted horses with an abundance of expression and movement. Bonheur painted animals equivalent to humans.
In Bonheur's work animals have a human expression, even as in the work of Weijnen.
In addition Bonheur worked with her own animals from a barn bordering on her atelier. Also, therein is to draw a comparison.
Weijnen lives with the animals she paints and sees it as a requirement for getting to know them.The character determines the atmosphere of the animal portrait. She aims to depth and layering and for that reason she works a lot with oilpaint.
She brings layer upon layer, making her work sometimes getting a bit of a pasty character.