Leo Klootwijk was born in 1956 in The Hague, The Netherlands. He currently lives in Naarden, near Amsterdam. He has been painting for most of his life. He has received no formal art training. He sells most of his paintings to a group of ardent collectors.
I have been painting for some 45 years. On and off, since I have also pursued a successful career in business. The last five years I dedicate much more time to painting. My leading theme is nature, I paint what I call existential landscapes.
When you create a new work, how do you proceed? What comes first?
I give it a lot of thought before I start, thinking about the mood, colors and size of a painting. Then I just start and stop. This is a process that almost goes by itself. I have a lot of faith in the outcome. It always works out. So in between I might be unsatisfied, but I know this will pass when I pick up again. Sometimes I leave paintings for quite a while before coming back. Or, I start anew on an existing one. Thus, my paintings may contain many layers of paint.
From what do you get your motivation?
I get my motivation from within. It is a drive to create. We try to assign meaning to life. And I consider art as the least meaningless activity there is, so art is where to turn to.
Your life without art would be...
Empty.
What is the best art place in your city at the moment?
There are lots of great galleries in Amsterdam. I would recommend Ron Mandos at the moment.
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