Original Oil - FIRST LINE, MILTON

The light and shadows in this large-scale oil painting will remind you of the warmth of summer and and serenity of the countryside.  This artist is adept at capturing the light, and how it falls on objects. In this painting the dappled road, the shadowed trees and the field that is lit up by the sun all come to life with the skill of the artist. A gorgeous painting of a tree-lined country road so typical of the area. This large-scale piece will set the tone of peace and sunshine in any room.

Size: Image, 36" x 28" Framed in a black float frame to 38" x 30" Available in gallery only due to the size and medium of this piece. Available in gallery only due to the size of this piece.

THE ARTIST: Jake Bouwman, St. George, ON is an oil and pastel artist who was born in the Netherlands. Jake’s parents immigrated with their five-year-old son and younger daughter to Canada, and settled in the lakeside village of Bronte, Ontario.

It was Jake’s grade five teacher that first recognized his gift for drawing and painting (watercolours) and encouraged him to think about art as a career. An eighth grade reader introduced the young boy to works by several Canadian artists. “A.Y. Jackson’s RED MAPLE spoke to me and I have wanted to paint like the Group of Seven ever since.” His mother bought him his first set of oil paints, and Jake was hooked.

Jake holds a Bachelors of Science from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo and a Certificate of Fine Art from Sheridan College in Oakville. The need to “put food on the table” while raising his family often took precedence over his painting, but now Jake is, and has been for a number of years, working full-time at his art. He typically starts a painting in the actual setting to determine colours and values (the lightness or darkness) in natural light before returning to his studio to finish the work.

Jake is a equally comfortable with still life, landscapes and portraiture, showing both his learned technical skills and his innate ability to capture the mood and atmosphere of the subject.

“Painting takes me to a form of expression that speaking or writing cannot. My feelings are like those of Edward Hopper, [one of my favourite artists] who said “If everything could be expressed with words, I wouldn’t have to paint."”