Frans de Leij is a Dutch-born, self-taught watercolour artist known for his atmospheric paintings of landscapes, wildlife, and people. Based in the United Kingdom, his work is heavily influenced by his background as an ecologist, as he is inspired by nature, light, and the tranquility of the natural world.
Frans studied Ecology at the University of Wageningen in the Netherlands and spent much of his life studying soil and its inhabitants. He describes his paintings as being motivated by the interactions between life-forms, light, and the feeling of space found in the natural world.
Artistic influences: Though self-taught, de Leij is inspired by other watercolour artists, including Edward Seago, Trevor Chamberlain, and Edward Wesson. He admires the freshness and directness of their work, which he strives to achieve in his own paintings.
Frans style is described as a combination of broad washes, random splatters, and precise drawing. He is particularly attracted to using a “wet into wet” watercolour technique, in which wet paint is applied to a wet surface. This method creates a variety of unpredictable effects that he “steers” towards a fresh and natural image.
