Richard Kooyman’s paintings are inspired by fleeting visual phenomena that take place along shorelines and deep inside forests. How the sun sparkles at the edge of a wood or brief glimmers of light reflected on the water are represented in his paintings with concise and confident brushwork. The use of temperate colors specifies an emotional connection to a place and time.
Kooyman has been awarded artist residencies at the Vermont Studio Center, The Heliker- LaHotan Foundation on Cranberry Island, Maine, The Antico Borgo Finocchieto in Tuscany, and most recently a Visiting Artist residency at the American Academy in Rome. He is a recipient of a NEA Artists Grant, a Michigan Arts Council Grant, and The Michigan Governor’s Award in the Arts.
Landscapes by Richard Kooyman
Arcadia Marsh, 20 x 30in - $3,100
Killarney, 14 x 11in - $1,200
Dusk, 18 x 24in - $2,600
Birches, 14 x 11in - $1,200
Pink Sky, 18 x 24in - $2,600
Distant Horizon, 18 x 15in - $1,600
Two Pines on the Beach, 20 x 22in - $2,600
Pines Near the Beach, 30 x 48in - $4,600
• Geminid - SOLD
• Opening to the Beach - SOLD
• View of the Island - SOLD
• Forest Path - SOLD
• Orange Path - SOLD
Richard Kooyman’s Dawn with arms of roses… Exhibition
Lemon Grove, 48 x 48in - $8,300
Two Figures in the Green, 36 x 48in - $6,500
New Garden, 48 x 52in - $8,800
Bestia, 36 x 52in - $6,500
Paradise, 40 x 40in - $6,200
Bathers, 18 x 24in - $2,600
Red Bird, 49 x 44in - $7,500
Five Birds in the Garden, 36 x 60in - $8,000
Italian Morning, 44 x 58in - $7,500
Bathers at the Stream, 18 x 24in - $2,600
Figure, 20 x 16in - $2,400
• And All of This - SOLD
Get to Know Richard Kooyman
What drives you to create?
I think painting or writing is the most radical thing an individual can do today. An artist has the ability to make or show something that no machine or corporation can. Making works of art and having works of art in our homes is a way to convey what being human is about. I'm interested in the fact that art isn't a product on a shelf. It can't be mass produced. Making art is a way to be.
Are there places you’d like to someday visit specifically to paint?
Nova Scotia and Scotland
What does your process look like?
One of my teachers years ago said that making a painting is like a dog circling round and round before it finally finds the right spot to lay down. There is a routine of daily life to deal with, bills to pay, supplies to order (circling round and round) before I can pick up a brush and deal with the visual ideas in my mind. Then once it begins, all those other things disappear.
Q&A w/ Richard
Read through Richard Kooyman’s artist Q&A to discover more about the inspiration for his work, his favorite museums, how he spends his time outside of his Michigan studio, and more.