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"Painting 'en Plein Air" gives me tremendous enjoyment and gives the work a feeling of spontaneity that is difficult to achieve if done in the studio. If the viewer can see and feel these emotions then I have been successful in achieving my creative goals."
--Jacobus Baas
Born in the Netherlands, in 1945, Jacobus spent his early years in Rotterdam, surrounded by rich landscapes and cloud-laden skies made famous by the Dutch Masters throughout the years. Jacobus came to the United States in his early teens, with an interest in art already indelibly imprinted. Fascinated with surfing, he spent most of his after school hours in the ocean but never abandoned his passion for art.
After working various jobs, he saved enough money to travel extensively in Europe. He enjoyed all that Europe had to offerespecially the art, and his desire to create deepened. Upon his return to the United States, Jacobus decided to channel his creativity in a new directionone that would enable him to use his artistic ability and also provide some financial stability. He began to design and make jewelry. His unique and original works captured a following and contributed to his success as a goldsmith. Jacobus was afforded the freedom to pursue his first lovepainting.
In 1994, Jacobus began painting on location during a trip to Santa Fe and exclaimed, "It was like discovering a new world!" On subsequent trips to New Mexico and Hawaii, he produced vibrant, color-filled landscapes that inspired him to begin a remarkable series of work that has been, and still is, widely acclaimed and admired. In addition to his one-man shows in California and Hawaii, Jacobus has exhibited in concert with LPAPA (Laguna Plein Air Painters Association) at the Orange County Museum of Art in Newport Beach, the Laguna Beach Museum of Art, the Art Institute in Laguna Beach and is on permanent exhibit here at Gallerie Amsterdam in Carmel, California. |