What have I done till now?

A sort of c.v.

 

 

In the graphic arts I am self-taught. While studying Art History I started making my own drawings. Because this became pretty succesfull I already soon had to search for a way of multiplying my very labour-intensive drawings.

So I discovered the silkscreen technique. I never multiplied my drawings this way, but I found many new possibilities for making graphic art.

In the beginning it was mere manual labour. But through the silkscreen technique I discovered photography. I spent hours in the darkroom. There I learned to manipulate the image in many ways, which is still an advantage when I work with Photoshop.

 

During the seventies I had several exhibitions, solo and group, and for some time I was a teacher at the Art Schools of Den Bosch and Arnhem. I also was a member of various boards and committees in the field of the arts.

After I started printing posters (for exhibitions mainly) I was more and more asked by fellow artists to print their designs. This became my main occupation for many years. For this activity I invented the company-name: Het Drukhuis Oosterbeek.

 

Furthermore I founded a small publishing house in the seventies, mainly publishing books for bibliophiles: artist's books, poetry, en special editions. This publishing house has it's own website: the Ravenberg Pers, . Occasionally I still make books on demand, but I don't publish them anymore.

 

During that period I also took the initiative, together with my friend Leen van Weelden, of publishing graphic art on a regular base. For this we founded the Stichting Signature, that, among other things, published the well-known Gelderse Grafiekmap during 20 years, and established the annual Gelderland Grafiekprijs, an award for graphical artists.

 

Allthough I regard myself more as a graphical artist than as a photographer I have a page at the site fotografen.nl. I can also be found in the documentation of RKD and galeries.nl.

 

 

 

 

© Koos van Tol 2014 - 2023