Luckily the dormant interest awoke after he met his wife Marian. They migrated from Holland to the US in 2013 where they started a Bed and Breakfast. 2017 marked the finalization of all the renovation projects including the paint studio at the back of their lovely home. Ron can now dedicate a lot of time to painting!
My painting style is inspired by Impressionism, Post-Impressionism and Fauvism. All three art movements originated in France in the late 1800's, early 1900's. And were reactions to realistic painting.
Impressionism inspires me because of the use of visible bushstrokes and the effects of natural light. Works of Monet, Renoir and Manet, to mention just a few, challenge me to use light and shadow in my paintings in such a way that you can feel the warmth of the sun or the coolness of the shadow on a hot summer day.
Post-Impressionism is probably my most important source of inspiration. When I started painting again after 25 years I began where I left off, trying to paint in a realistic way. But after an hour I realized that I had grown as a person and did not want to be restricted by technique and reality anymore. Using broad brush strokes with a more abstract approach and painting more from emotion, I felt liberated. This is what the post-impressionists must have experienced!
The largest influence on my work comes from fellow Dutchman Vincent Van Gogh: the variety of techniques and the colors he used still fascinate me tremendously. I also love the paintings of Cézanne and the later works of Pissarro.
But Post-Impressionism still did not give me enough freedom and in Fauvism I found what I was missing. Fauvism does not care about the color of a tree in real life: if I want my tree to be purple, I paint a purple tree, just because I like that color! Fauvism taught me to use colors that make me feel good and color palets that I like. Especially Georges Braque, Maurice De Vlaminck, André Derain and Henri Matisse are huge examples for me.
I like to paint landscapes and buildings. Litchfield County in Connecticut, where I live right now, offers a lot of opportunities for inspiring subjects: the hills and lakes, beautiful houses, characteristic churches and quaint villages. What's not to love?!
And recently I discovered that I like paint portraits as well, as long as I can use my own style.
I prefer to paint with acrylics or oil on canvas board and canvases. Because of the Fauvistic influences in my work I like to work on larger canvases. I don't work any smaller than 11 by 8 inch, because I feel confined by smaller canvases and it prohibits my work to flow.
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