At Croydon College of Art, London, England, I studied from 1978 till 1983. The courses I took were graphic design, illustration and painting. ,During this training I discovered the Pre-Raphaelites, Lord Leighton, the Dutch painter Laurens Alma-Tadema, Andrew Wyeth and John Singer Sargent. I consider them my source of inspiration together with the Italian Renaissancists, the Impressionists and many 19th century Russian realistic painters. The American illustrators I admire are a.o. Howard Pyle, N.C.Wyeth, H.C.Chisty, maxfield Parrish, J.C Leyendecker, Milton Glaser, Brad Holland and Gary kelly. My favourite English illustrators are Arthur Rackham, Alan Lee and Don Lawrence. ,My favourite mediums are oils and watercolor, but also use (color)pencil, pen-and-ink and acrylics. ,Through my classical education I pay a lot attention to good composition, technique and harmonious use of colors. My interests are divers: nature, realism, fantasy, portraits, murals and I love doing illustrations. ,Since 1984 I have worked as a painter and free-lance illustrator in the Netherlands for several advertising agencies, publishers and other businesses. I do commissioned portraits in oils, watercolor and pencil. ,Since 1988 I also teach at different art centers and art colleges. ,You can see a lot more work at my website: www.vermaesen.com |