Antoon van Wijk

Antoon van Wijk is a Dutch sculptor and painter who was born in 1952 and lives in Holland. Together with Richard Price, Antoon van Wijk is the founder of the glass casting technique. Antoon creates very quirky, imaginative sculptures. They are playful and exuberant and often elicit a mild smile from the viewer. Antoon is known as specific glass artist. Yet he also likes to work with bronze. In his works he shows that, in addition to the techniques of glassblowing and bronze casting, he even mastered glass casting to perfection. He knows how to combine several materials with different techniques, making very special and fascinating art sculptures. Antoon gets his inspiration during his travels through India and Indonesia. He is fascinated by the oriental religions and the palpable mystical atmospheres. The oriental influences are reflected in the use of the entire palette of colors and the special use of gold. The shapes are also inspired by the East. He builds temples with animal figures. These animals have human features and emotions, leading to endearing scenes. Antoon combines Buddhist statues with elements of the Western culture and Eastern mysticism. For Antoon life itself is like liquid glass. "Nothing is certain, life and glass can be shaped in different ways. Once cooled and solidified glass and human feelings are just as fragile.”
About his paintings Antoon says: "I want to show the world my vulnerable and hidden passion to the fullest. My love and passion for drawing, painting and mixed media"

His paintings are influenced by the many locations where he has been like New York, India, Cuba, Italy, Spain, Hungary.