That's me!
(Beer-it) - But just ''Beer'' is fine!
I am a self-taught wildlife- and palaeo artist from the Netherlands.
In love with all living and extinct animal species and the nature around them. In my daily life I am the best version of person there is... at least in the eyes of my dogs' Maddy and Alice! We are living on the edge of the forest where deer roam the streets and at night we fall asleep to the 'hooting' of owls...
my source of inspiration... my paradise.
BERITH
I started drawing on an early age. When I was in elementary school I have drawn so many horses for my classmates that I lost count, not that those were that great, but we loved them.
It was not until my 18th year that I picked up my pencil again. I drew mostly dragons and movie scenes, followed up by commision work and drawing realistic wildlife. I did a few art shows and that was all for a fun little hobby.
My dream was to become a video editor because that was something I did for a very long time. I could work day and night to finish a project. Went to school to master my skills, but I didn't really learn much there...
Although there was one thing I am sure I learned there... the fundamentals of stress.
But really...
I slowly realised that this rushed world wasn't my world. But why not? I graduated from that school with a 'cum laude' for video editing?
I was stressed and totally burnt-out at the end, because I wanted it so badly. It took me several years to deal and accepting the fact that I am not able to do this job for a living.
Meanwhile, I used drawing as a stress escape. While drawing I can get lost in it. It started with the animal maps somewhere in 2017. While visiting some African countries, the USA, UK and Costa Rica, I came up with the idea of the animal maps. It took me some time to get these on paper, but once I managed they went very quick and before I knew they were shining on a wall of a little local art show. I got many positive reactions and so began my Beast of Paradise adventure back in 2019!
I came up with the name ''Beast of Paradise'' as a result of the story above.
Earth is paradise and beast are of course the animals. Paradise is the light, beautiful and Beast is dark, a little scary. Just like nature itself. Beast is also for to the wildebeest which I love very much, noticed the horns on the the 'A' in my logo?
In the years that followed I made several cute and fun, whimsical colour pencil works and serious scientific illustrations of all kind of animals. I am really into the scientific illustrations from extincy animal species. To bring an animal back to life with my drawings, and show people how beautiful our wildlife is/was is one of the most satiisfied things to do.
These illustrations keep me sane in dark times and help me find myself again...
In my spare time I love to make long walks with the dogs, photographing wildlife and nature, watching series, riding western reining and visit my horse, Charlie, who is a retiree of 27 years old.
Another hobby of mine is naturally to sink myself in information about natural history, dinosaurs and other prehistoric wildlife.
