Arthur Koopmans is a watercolor painter from the green heartland of the Netherlands. Where realism and impressionism meet, is where his paintings come to life. The bustling streets and canals of Amsterdam and Utrecht, or the beauty of the countryside never fail to inspire. The moment he gets stopped in his tracks by the perfect combination of lightfall, composition and atmosphere, he knows he has found a great subject for a painting that will evoke a strong emotional response. It was just such a moment at just the right time that started Arthur on his journey.

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Watercolor is a beautiful medium for capturing subtle effects of light, and its transparent quality lends a freshness to it not found in other mediums. To achieve this however, requires a great sense of timing, and knowing how wet or dry the water is on the paper, the palette and the brush. Over the years, Arthur has acquired an intuition for knowing when is the right moment to apply paint to the paper, and when to wait for a layer to dry, to achieve the desired effect.

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Especially when painting en plein air, you work with constant shifts in the light, and with a world around you that is in constant motion. It is this continuous dialogue with the painting and the alertness to changing conditions, that makes the process exciting every time. Each time Arthur sets out with his easel and his brushes, it is always a surprise what the next painting will be...