Read this Wildlife Art Journal article

For over half a millennium, Holland has figured prominently in the successional waves of fine art movements. Few nations on Earth today have a higher concentration of talented bird artists.

One of the bright light advocates for wildlife art in The Netherlands is Willem H. Smith. By day, Smith is an environmental journalist. By passion he and his wife, Margriet, are  birders who operate Kunstgalerie Oog voor Natuur, an exhibition space in Opheusden that features the works of more wildlife artists than any other venue in Holland.

Wildlife Art Journal asked Smith, pictured at right, to curate a selection of images from seven artists represented by Oog voor Natuur . The painters are Eric van der Aa, Hans J. Geuze, Elwin van der Kolk, Leon R. van der Linden, Erik van Ommen, Piet Rozendaal, and Renzo Tamse. This is the first of more collaborations to come between Wildlife Art Journal and Oog voor Natuur.

Enjoy the following profiles of each artist, have a look at their work, above, and read an interview with Willem Smith, below. —Todd Wilkinson

Eric van der Aa: Great Grey Owl & Motmot
 
Born in 1963 in Maastricht, Eric van der Aaa is described by Willem Smith as an enthusiastic birder for more than 30 years. Van der Aa studied at the Agricultural University of Wageningen for six years from 1982 to 1988 and received extensive instruction in watercolor. "This medium lends itself to capturing images and...