About The Artist

‘From rascal to globetrotter’ Jan Peter van Opheusden is born on March, 12, 1941 in Eindhoven (The Netherlands), where he still lives and works. As a child he frightens his little niece out of her wits by turning his finger into a piece of art, pierced with a big nail and a blood dripped bandage. He studies at the, in the meantime internationally well-known, Design Academy in Eindhoven. Besides his work as a painter Jan Peter teaches visual arts and skills for many years, after which he settles down as liberal artist. He embraces a wide range of disciplines such as painting, sculpture and several graphical technics. His study-tours all over Europe and Asia inspire his creations. His one-man mega exhibition in the Grande Arche , Paris in 1998 gives his work greater appraisal. Meanwhile his work is acquired worldwide by important private collectors. ‘Painting is my passion and my work needs to emanate warmth, no more no less’. Jan Peter paints, sculpts, does screen printing and paints. Jan Peter is a lightning artist not only with a brush but also with his hands. The canvas is his pallet and acryl his favourite paint, nice and quick as life. He uses mixed media with chalk as basis to obtain the right effect. He paints on canvas, panel or paper, human figures, nature, things of every-day, movements, dancers, theatre or sports and sometimes a child portrait as intensive finger exercise. “I want to transmit feelings. I don’t paint pretty things and I know, by experience, that people acquire my work for this emanated warmth. Therefore painting is my passion.”. ‘Surround yourself with beautiful things’ (Confucius, 500 BC) “Colour is more determining than form. I am that colour. Therefore, I never use pastel shades but most of the time primary and contrasting colours. They express direct emotions and feelings charged with an impetuous expression or tense eroticism and love for people: they are not meant as messages. When you look carefully at my paintings then you will just find something of yourself.” ‘I am that colour’ “Colour is more determining than form. I am that colour. Therefore, I never use pastel shades but most of the time primary and contrasting colours. They express direct emotions and feelings charged with an impetuous expression or tense eroticism and love for people: they are not meant as messages. When you look carefully at my paintings then you will just find something of yourself.” ‘From perspiration comes inspiration’ “To paint in such a way is ever again an exhausting battle between matter and fantasy. Yes, inspiration comes through perspiration, not contrived but directly explosive with at most a theme at the back of my mind and with music in the background. Every day, again and again, to get it better and different. Sometimes when the action breaks down Jan Peter is moulding the wax, ogling at the Greek and Roman sculpture, to be able to have it cast into a bronze statue but… painting will always be his passion. WEBSITE www.jpvanopheusden.com