Ton Dubbeldam was born in the small town of Schoonhoven, Holland, in 1957. His father was a musician and his grandfather a painter. As a boy, his passion for art was fueled by trips to Paris and the French countryside, where he was inspired by the works of Impressionist masters like Van Gogh, Degas, Monet, and Klimt. From Klimt, he learned to do the either very high or very low horizons for which he is known. Through these unique views (as through the eyes of a child), the water and sky are strongly accented. This technique is combined with a particular light effect ("repousser") that Dubbeldam creates by pushing the light to the rear of the painting and making the foreground very dark. Dubbeldam says, “You take a step into the painting and follow the light.” Ton Dubbeldam studied for six years to become an art teacher, but after teaching only two years, he decided to paint full time when his own artwork started selling throughout Europe. His paintings are shown in galleries throughout the United States and in Europe, where he resides in the Netherlands with his family. Described as a floating technique, Ton begins his compositions by painting a panel with oils abstractly. He then pours mineral spirits over the panel to reactivates the paints. Dubbeldam squirls the saturated panel to create mezmorizing dream dimensions within the pools and skies of his landscapes.Finally, working in stages with a palette knife to apply kalidescope-like dabs, Dubbeldam creates abstract fantasies out of the natural world’s most marvelous inspirations.