I was born August 18th of 1962 in Dordrecht and named PJ (Pieter Joost). At the age of 10 I started painting. Encouraged by the first sales and exhibitions in Utrecht I decided at the age of 20 to become a professional painter in Amsterdam.

My primary goal in the first years was to acquire skills in techniques and materials. And for me practice was the best study.

After a couple of years a job in IT that started as a side-line became my main activity. And during 20 years I worked as an international project manager in the service industry. Though in 2006 I decided again that my job is to paint.

Besides that I am becoming more and more involved in various art events and projects. Initiating, organizing and participating in them. And I am trying other disciplines like installation art.

About my painting

"Simply said, I have the 'drive' to paint. It is a positive dissatisfaction with what already exists or can be seen. It often starts with an association with what I see around me. Then I start looking for contrasts in forms, colours and light to express the association.

The result is (still) figurative. The art of omitting, harshening the paint stroke and/or abstracting remains a challenge for me every time.

For me every style of painting or image language is a temporary thing. I am mainly concerned with investigation and discovery of what is possible with colours, forms and light. Underlying these experiment and trials there is always my fundamental knowledge of the materials."