"I first saw Ewoud de Groot's work at the 2005 Birds in Art exhibition at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wisconsin. It was an oil painting of a group of Oystercatchers and it captivated me, so much so that I bought it. Since then we have regularly exhibited together in USA and UK, and I have watched his work develop with interest. So much Wildlife Art relies on the viewer's affinity with the subject for its appeal, Ewoud's work is different, and his use of light, medium, interpretation and texture are unique, bringing a new perspective and freshness to the genre. These are true works of art that transcend the boundaries between wildlife and contemporary art.
Recently Ewoud sent me an image of a new painting telling me it was the 'first stage of my 'Laplanduil'. It was a painting of a Great Grey Owl flying straight towards the viewer, the head and body had a little detail, and the wings were roughed out and covered in splatters, all on a blank canvas. My immediate reaction was to email him back and say 'leave it like that'. After a little persuasion he did and that painting now hangs in our house along with a growing collection of Ewoud's work. Since then Ewoud has created more paintings in this pared down style, many of which are in this exhibition. They have a vitality and immediacy that brings the subject to life; these are paintings that one will never tire of viewing because they always have some new element to explore. They reward the viewer for time spent in their presence."
-Simon Gudgeon/Sculptor
"Ewoud de Groot's representational contemporary impressionistic/expressionistic work. That's a mouthful! He paints a background that is a sea scape or landscape, sort of. Sort of because it could be more simply an expressionistic oil. Then he adds the representational, such as a sea gull, which tends to be impressionistic in style. The result is an unusual tension which gives vibrancy to the work."
-Daniel R. Gould / art critic Amsterdam
Biography
Ewoud de Groot lives and works in Egmond aan Zee, a coastal village in the north of the Netherlands. Born in 1969 in Alkmarr, he attended the Minerva Academy of Art, and received a degree in illustration and painting. After illustrating nature books for a period, he began painting full-time. De Groot spends a significant amount of time exploring the Waddensea, an internationally known wetland that is actually a chain of islands, mudflats, and sandbanks, starting in the Netherlands and ending in the south of Denmark. Thus, his subjects are often seabirds and waders.
His work has been featured in many exhibitions in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. De Groot's work hangs in both private and corporate collections across Europe, Scandinavia and America. Recently he became a member of the 'Pulchri Studio' - the artist society of The Hague and the most prestigious in Holland. In September he had the honor of being selected for the 'Birds in Art Exhibition' at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wisconsin, USA. He also is a member of several art organizations, including the Society of Animal Artists.
Artist Statement
To me, as an artist, producing a good painting is about exploring all the different facets of composition, colour and technique and not just reproducing an image in a photorealistic way. Although I consider myself a figurative painter, I always try to find that essential balance and tension between the more abstract background and the realism of the subject(s). In a way you could say that I am on the frontier between figurative and non-figurative, or the traditional and the modern.
My technique is based on the principle of painting in layers, using cold blueish-grays and warm brownish-grays. This delicate balance ensures that they compliment and enhance each other. I start a painting by sketching with big brushstrokes and using the palette knife to look for the right composition, not allowing myself to be distracted by specifics. Once the form of the painting has been established then I begin to work on the birds or a particular detail of the bird(s) themselves.
My familiarity with wildlife has ensured that they have become my primary artistic focus. Their shape and color and the balance of negative space around and between individuals. These are the main ingredients, also pattern, rhythm, depth and structure, all of which are vital in order to paint a good painting.
My subjects are mostly birds of the northern hemisphere, from Europe, Siberia and then into North America. I have encountered these species on many occasions on my trips throughout Europe, Poland Scandinavia, Russia, Canada, Wyoming and Alaska, where I used to work as a fishing guide a couple of summers.
In 2009 the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum purchased my entry for Birds in Art 2009 ; 'Phalarope's' this painting was inspired by the phalarope's I saw foraging on lake Hood, Anchorage Alaska."
Resume
Selected Exhibits:
National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson Hole, Wyoming 2007 2008 - 2009 Kunstzaal van Heijningen, The Hague, The Netherlands 2003 - 2004 - 2006 - 2007- 2008 Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, BIA, Wausau, Wisconsin 2002 - 2003 - 2005 - 2006 - 2007 - 2008 Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe, US 2006 - 2007 - 2008 Wykeham Gallery, Stockbridge, UK 2006 - 2007 - 2008 Galerie van Strien, Nieuw -Amsterdam, The Netherlands 2005 - 2006 - 2008 Galerie Art Options, Wijk bij Duurstede, The Netherlands 2002 - 2006 - 2007 - 2008 Galerie Theobald's boothuisje, Ostende, Belgium 2002 Galerie Henk Pruijsen, Warmond, The Netherlands 2003 Museums and Corporate Collections:
Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, Wisconsin, US Unilever, Rotterdam, The Netherland International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, Kopenhagen, Denmark