My name is Gysbert Savelkouls. I am 65 years old and have now retired after more than 3 decades in IT sales. I was born in Oberhausen in the Ruhr area, where I spent my childhood and youth. I lived in the Lower Rhine region for a few years until I fell under the spell of Spain and lived there with my wife for almost 2 years.

Having retired, I have been painting for about 3 years. Here I have devoted myself to abstract, expressionist painting. This art form, also known as "American Modernism", has been with me for decades. I can still remember standing in front of the painting "Red Bird" by the expressionist artist Agnes Martin in the Museum of Modern Art in New York at the beginning of the century. I was inspired by the visible minimalism of her paintings - and the statement of a museum guide "Less is more". For some, abstract expressionist painting is literally a "different kind of painting" to that of the classical surrealists..

Für mich und viele Kunstinteressierte ist der Expressionismus, insbesondere die der amerikanischen Künstler, aber auch deutsche Maler wie Gerhard Richter und Hans Hartung  etwas, was die Grenzen des Denk- und Vorstellbaren erweitert. Mit dem Bedürfnis diese Grenzen herauszufordern, zu erweitern, habe ich vor etwa 3 Jahren mit dem malen angefangen. Ich konnte damit mein ureigenes Bedürfnis Grenzen herauszufordern , auf einer Baumwollleinwand umsetzen. 

The leap into the unknown has always been part of my identity, including crossing boundaries and accepting challenges. Almost all of my paintings are the result of spontaneity, a creative process that can change during painting and create something different. Something other than what was intended. 

Cross your own boundaries!