The Elliott Louis Gallery

Dutch born painter and printmaker, Peter John Voormeij, first came to Canada in 1965. Trained in the realist schools of painting, he was quickly influenced by the new forms of art in the Montreal and New York galleries.

"I have been painting since the late sixties. I don't believe that it is possible to entirely understand an artwork. No matter what the topic or execution style or who painted it or when.

Even if one has an opportunity to ask an artist directly what the thought process was during the conception of the painting, and what the most important message was that needed to come across. Most likely no satisfying answer would be given.

We're still wondering what prompted our ancestors more than 30,000 years ago, to crawl into a deep cave, grind burned bones and earth pigments, mix in some animal fat, and paint the most magnificent images of animals from their time on high rough ceilings and walls.

Certainly through research and logical thinking we can assume what the artist was trying to tell the viewer. But one thing is certain, it was painted with the idea that someone would see it, whether God or man."

- Peter John Voormeij

Voormeij acquired his Master of Arts degree from Concordia University, Montreal, where some of his instructors were the late Roy Kiyooka and Yves Gaucher. Currently painting full time, Voormeij has taught art classes at the University of British Columbia, The Arctic College and Langara College.

The Elliott Louis Gallery represents Voormeij in Canada. Eight galleries in the Netherlands show Peter's work.