Bio

This biography is only related to my art. You can find more info about my family life under "Family Album".

I was born and raised 25 miles south of Amsterdam, Holland. Eventhough I excelled in arts, I kept that as a hobby throughout my life and chose science for my education and professional career.

My job gave us the opportunity to travel extensively and move home many times in various countries. Although being a Vice President of a Flavor-Science Department might sound rather dull, my actual job was very creative i.e. the creation and application of flavorings. This took me to virtually every country in Europe, Far East, Indonesia, Australia, North and South America, where I interacted with the local people and learned about their cultures and odor & taste preferences. I was able to retire young, and we choose Sarasota, Florida as our new domicile.

Since then, I have been increasingly involved in the art-scene as (past) President of the Sarasota Art Center and the Ringling Museum of Art, as Docent.

My artistic talents were first noticed in grade school, in a small town in Holland, from the many pencil drawings and watercolors I made with a cheap watercolor set. I remember that in 6th grade I turned out dozens of beautiful colored ink drawings, which were exhibited in the school. Unfortunately I did not keep any of them.

In my early twenties I discovered photography and quickly became very proficient in darkroom techniques to manipulate and improve my (black & white only) prints. I won several awards and had a portrait of my grandmother published in our newspaper. I had my first large exhibition at the age of 25, showing over 40 large prints, depicting landscapes, portraits and nudes. At this time I gradually co-developed a book of photography and poetry, "The Last Day". Printed copies are not for sale, but you can view it in full on this website.

During my years living in England, I attended etching classes. The results can be magnificent, but the effort is very time consuming. I might start etching again one of these days, if I can find a place with all of the equipment.

After my retirement, I started painting with soft pastels. The materials are quite different from what I remember in high school. As in most cases, using the best materials, can give stunning results - not at all the insipid colors and textures what most people associate with pastels.

In 2017 I started painting in oil.

Since my artwork style is so detailed, I can easily spend 40 hours on a 20" x 25" painting.