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JEROEN VERHOEFF
Jeroen Verhoeff has been wild about nature from early childhood. Birdwatching, catching, buying and keeping all kinds of animals, collecting skulls and other animal parts, devouring any new wildlife book, drawing animals, as long as it had to do with nature he was and is very happy.
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OBSERVING WILDLIFE
Growing up, when awareness arose that captive animals were merely a meager and pitiful reflection of their wild kin, the focus shifted completely to observing wildlife. To him, nothing is more beautiful and pure then getting as close as possible to wild animals in their natural surroundings. Preferably by himself, by day and by night, below and above water, all over the world. By doing this for almost four decades he has gained considerable knowledge of wild animal behaviour, ecosystems and the properties of light and water.
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SNORKELING
Snorkeling is his favourite form of experiencing wildlife. Going under with a mask and snorkel you are much more then just a spectator: you will become an integral part of underwater life. Animals will see you more as a, maybe somewhat awkward, but rather acceptable fellow creature.
Alpine stream, meadow ditch, jungle creek or deep open ocean: if there is at least one feet of visibility Jeroen Verhoeff will submerge in it.
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PAINTING
Painting is a self acquired skill. Around 1992 Jeroen Verhoeff became a freelance, fulltime illustrator and wildlife artist. Doing more and more commisioned wildlife artwork over the years, he eventually ended up doing mainly free wildlife artwork.
He paints in acrylics on specially prepared panels. Just paint-brushes, his hands and a occasional toothbrush are used. The paint is applied in many different layers (glace technique), often even up to fifteen. His paintings are so strikingly flat in appearance that people often do not see that they are paintings at first.
Remarkable about Jeroens wildlife art is that putting the paint on the panel itself actually requires relatively little time. Research and the making of scaled models usually takes more then half of the whole proces. See technique for more details.
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CV
Jeroen Verhoeff (Vlaardingen, the Netherlands, 1966) lives with his wife and three children in Vlaardingen. Here he works in his own studio and gallery.
Besides being a wildlife artist, he also works as a wildlife travel guide, a wildlife cartoonist, a wildlife photographer and a wildlife writer.
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