Hi there and welcome on the website of Fine Art America and thanks for your attention on my drawings.
I was born in Amsterdam on May 22 1962 and was raised in Belgium in the neighbourhood of Brussels. In 1994 I went back to the land of the wooden shoes, windmills, tulips and bicycles and lived there for 18 years, in the South West of our beautiful country till 2011. Now these days, you can find me in and around Brussels.
Now tell me, which one of you never had a pencil between his fingers ? Nobody ! Every one of you had (even if it was only once, which I doubt) a drawing or colour pencil between his fingers. It's a part of our life, our raising and our culture. Not everybody likes to draw or thinks he or she can't draw and that last one is possible, but in everyone of us hides an artist ! Most of us don't know it, but it is true. It doesn't matter what your art skills are, and yes, you who is reading my biography right now, you are an artist, with special skills and maybe you were never aware of it, just believe me ... you are! It's possible you can sing or maybe you can play an instrument or you like to make photographs. All this is a form of art and like any form of art it needs practice. I know for sure that I can't play a guitar the way my brother does, but I've created other skills by practising. As a child I had it in me, everywhere I went, I always had my pencils and paper with me. I can remember as if it happened yesterday, but I always had to draw Lucky Luke or his horse Jolly Jumper and his stupid dog Rantanplan. Do you remember ? Over and over again, in the beginning with one of the comics in front of me but the more I drew these characters, the more I kept it on my hard disk above my shoulders and didn't needed the comics any more. And that's how I started to draw other things. It's a shame I didn't kept all these 'young artist' memories on paper. A certain moment I stopped drawing, I didn't had the time any more, or I was bored doing it. So for many years I didn't had a pencil between my fingers. Until ... believe me or not, a very dear and good friend of mine, which I have never seen and only know from the internet (that's a different story), by the first name of Schapelle, made me grab the pencils again. Is that a story or is that a story ? You tell me, but I felt like I had to draw again, because she has a side and front profile to draw, over and over again and never stop ! Okay ... I admit, she's beautiful too ...One thing I know, just the same as all of you (who think they are not an artist) I had to practice again. Especially the hands and most of all the eyes. If the eyes aren't perfect, the whole drawing isn't perfect because 'the eyes are the mirror of the soul' and they speak for the whole drawing. Now this is me and if you ask me to draw one of your photos, I will, in that way that you can recognise yourself as in a mirror ! So don't forget, no matter what you like to do, in everyone of you hides an artist. It's only a question of practice and always being very sceptical about your work and you will see for yourself, you always want to improve, getting better and very often you will always find something that has to be changed. Just like I do. Until you blow up your artwork and have to start all over again ...... Reading my own biography, I could consider becoming a writer ...... ;-)
All the best to you and my other colleague - artists, It's a joy to be a part of your artistic world again ...
Greetings from the Belgium,
Erwin.
Erwin Verhoeven joined Fine Art America on February 11th, 2011.
