About Jan Karel Verheij

Why?

I have been painting for four years. My work is often a metaphor for life in all its facets. Everyone can give it their own interpretation. Art delights the heart. My paintings cannot be placed in a box or movement, but are much more an expression of a certain atmosphere or state of mind. Themes such as light, landscape and aspects of life are examples of this. The bright colours stand out. They strengthen my feeling of optimism, happiness, clarity and beauty. It is important that the painting does something to you. It stimulates your imagination. That you think about, reflect and dream away. It should make you happy and deepen your life. The discovery that art gives meaning to your life grows gradually, but is then indelible.

Inspiration

I often find inspiration during my photographic quests at home and abroad. Sometimes I compose (piano) music for an image. For me, that is a perfect way to express my feelings in a different way. After capturing the image, I start thinking about abstracting it. Sometimes I use photoshop as a tool to look at shape and color. Then I make a rough sketch on canvas. I sometimes change the result two or three times. That often has little to do with the original image. Still, it helps me with the process and giving direction to my thoughts.

About me

I paint as a free artist, who works as an autodidact. I often work with acrylic, but sometimes also with oil. I like to experiment, for example with sand, paper, pastes, epoxy and acrylic pouring. All kinds of resources and gallery/museum visits help me to follow technical and content developments. Originally I am a geographer, education specialist and International Relations Manager. My paintings now hang on the walls in eleven countries.