WOoArts Home

Jos van Riswick

About Jos van Riswick

Dutch oil painter, palette knife in hand

Jos van Riswick discovered his passion for painting later in life. He originally graduated in physics and worked as a researcher at Nijmegen University, but science wasn’t his true calling. He eventually shifted from research to art, teaching himself to paint and exploring impressionist and expressionist styles before moving toward realism. Seeing the work of Dutch artists Carel Willink and Dick Ket pushed him further into precise, structured realism.

Jos van Riswick Painting
Jos van Riswick Painting

He experimented with many tools and visual devices, including hollow mirrors, camera lucida and camera obscura. Even when the process felt a bit unsertain, he kept refining his technique. Small misstakes in texture or light only add warmth to his still lifes. Jos eventually found that oil paint and a palette knife allowed him to recreate nature with strong structure, capturing shadow, reflection and light so clearly that his images appear almost three dimensional.

“Capturing shadow, light and reflections until the world feels real.”

His education includes physics at Nijmegen University, electrical engineering at Eindhoven University of Technology, and a preparatory year at ARTEZ. He has exhibited widely across the Netherlands, Ireland and Chile, and participated in numerous art fairs including Hasselt, Den Bosch, Rotterdam, Amsterdam and The Hague.

  • Dutch realist painter who transitioned from physics research to self taught fine art.
  • Known for structured oil palette knife work capturing light, shadow and three dimensional realism.
  • Exhibited across Europe with strong still life focus and a long list of gallery and fair appearances.

Soft light rests on quiet objects,
opening depth in gentle form.
A simple shape becomes a world,
painted calm and bright and warm.

  • Three mandarins on a worn blue wooden ledge, one half peeled with its rind spiraling over the edge
    Mandarins with a curling peel, Jos van Riswick, 2018. Oil painting.
    Three bright mandarins sit on a weathered blue wooden ledge. The middle fruit is half peeled, its rind curling in a spiral over the edge in the manner of Dutch Golden Age still lifes. Jos van Riswick builds the glowing orange skins and chipped paint with patient, smooth layers. Signed and dated 2018 lower left.
  • Pewter plate of lemons, a glass of white wine and a knife on a blue ledge draped with plum-colored silk, dark background
    Still life with lemons and wine, Jos van Riswick. Oil painting.
    Five lemons rest on a pewter plate beside a tall glass of white wine and a silver knife on a worn blue ledge. A fold of plum silk spills over the edge, catching soft light against a dark brown wall. The restrained palette and quiet order follow seventeenth century Dutch still life. Title and date are not confirmed.
  • White stoneware jug, a dark bowl of flat peaches, loose peaches and a leafy sprig on a worn blue table against a dark wall
    Flat peaches with a white jug, Jos van Riswick. Oil painting.
    A chipped white stoneware jug stands beside a dark bowl of flat peaches on a scuffed blue table. More peaches and a leafy sprig rest in front, their blushing skins glowing against a near-black wall. The simple objects and soft side light continue the Dutch still-life tradition Jos van Riswick works in. Title and date are not confirmed.
  • Blue and white striped bowl of dark red cherries beside two metal bud vases and a celadon bottle on a grey shelf
    Cherries in a striped bowl, Jos van Riswick. Oil painting.
    Glossy dark cherries fill a blue and white striped bowl, with a pair resting loose on the shelf. Two tarnished metal bud vases and a pale celadon bottle stand alongside against a warm brown wall. The muted greys and single red accent show Jos van Riswick's calm, balanced approach to classical still life. Title and date are not confirmed.
  • Turquoise glazed jug with small golden pears on a grey shelf and in a red enamel bowl, dark brown background
    Pears with a turquoise jug, Jos van Riswick. Oil painting.
    A chipped turquoise glazed jug rises behind a row of small russet pears, with more pears piled in a red enamel bowl. The cool glaze and warm fruit play against each other under soft light from the left. Simple kitchen objects, carefully arranged, are the core of Jos van Riswick's still lifes. Title and date are not confirmed.
  • Lidded pewter jug between three green and yellow pears on a worn blue wooden ledge against a pale wall
    Pewter jug with three pears, Jos van Riswick. Oil painting.
    A dull lidded pewter jug stands between three speckled green and yellow pears on a chipped blue ledge. The pale wall behind lifts the dark metal and gives the scene an airy calm. Pewter, a favorite material of Dutch Golden Age painters, lets Jos van Riswick show his control of soft reflections. Title and date are not confirmed.
  • Glass bowl of red and yellow cherries with more scattered on a blue ledge beside a pewter-lidded stoneware tankard
    Cherries with a stoneware tankard, Jos van Riswick. Oil painting.
    Red and blush-yellow cherries fill a clear glass bowl and spill along a worn blue ledge. Beside them stands a grey stoneware tankard with blue bands and a pewter lid. The transparent glass and matte stoneware show Jos van Riswick's skill with contrasting textures in the Dutch still-life manner. Title and date are not confirmed.
  • Two red pomegranates beside a dark glass bottle, a black bowl with turquoise interior and a knife on a blue-grey ledge
    Pomegranates with a bottle and bowl, Jos van Riswick. Oil painting.
    Two crimson pomegranates sit beside an old dark green glass bottle and a black bowl with a turquoise interior. A silver-handled knife angles across the worn blue-grey ledge toward the viewer, a classic still-life device that pulls the eye into the picture. Deep shadow and a few bright accents give the scene a quiet intensity. Title and date are not confirmed.
  • Glass jar of dark syrup, three red and green apples and a wooden spoon on a pale wooden table against a light wall
    Jar of syrup with apples, Jos van Riswick. Oil painting.
    A squat glass jar filled with dark syrup sits on a plain wooden table beside three red and green apples. A worn wooden spoon juts over the table edge toward the viewer. The warm wood tones and gentle daylight give this kitchen still life a homely, timeless quality. Title and date are not confirmed.
  • Green squash and pomegranates on a pewter plate, a brown bottle, white bowl of pomegranates and a teal cloth on a blue ledge
    Still life with pomegranates and squash, Jos van Riswick. Oil painting.
    A dark green squash and two pomegranates sit on a pewter plate beside a brown glass bottle and a white two-handled bowl heaped with more pomegranates. A teal cloth and a knife spill over the worn blue ledge. The wide horizontal layout and rhythm of rounded forms recall Dutch banquet pieces, kept simple and calm. Title and date are not confirmed.
  • Red apples on a pewter plate with a silver knife, a halved apple and a whole apple beside it on a blue-green ledge
    Red apples with a knife, Jos van Riswick. Oil painting.
    Shiny red apples are piled on a pewter plate with a silver table knife resting among them. To the right lie a cut half showing pale flesh and pips, and one more whole apple. The long, low format and dark wall focus attention on the play of light across skin and metal. Title and date are not confirmed.
  • Dark glass onion bottle surrounded by three knobbly yellow lemons on a brown wooden board against a near-black background
    Lemons with a dark glass bottle, Jos van Riswick. Oil painting.
    A dark, bulbous glass bottle stands on a brown wooden board with three lumpy yellow lemons arranged around it. A single bright highlight on the glass and the warm glow of the fruit stand out against a deep, shadowy background. The quiet, low-key lighting recalls the tonal still lifes of seventeenth century Holland. Signed lower center; title and date are not confirmed.
  • Round celadon green vase, a pewter bud vase and leafy clementines in a dark bowl on a brown shelf, dark background
    Clementines with a celadon vase, Jos van Riswick. Oil painting.
    A rounded celadon green vase sits beside a slim pewter bud vase and a dark bowl of clementines still on their leafy stems. One clementine rests on the shelf with its leaves curling outward. The cool green glaze and bright orange fruit create a balanced color harmony against the dark wall. Signed lower center; title and date are not confirmed.
  • Orange tangelos on a pewter plate with a red-handled knife, one half peeled with its rind spiraling off a blue ledge
    Tangelos with a spiral peel, Jos van Riswick. Oil painting.
    Bright orange tangelos sit on a dark pewter plate with a red-handled knife, while one fruit lies half peeled beside them. Its rind curls in a long spiral over the edge of the worn blue ledge. The hanging peel, a favorite trick of Dutch Golden Age painters, shows Jos van Riswick's command of illusion. Title and date are not confirmed.
  • Glass bowl brimming with dark red cherries and curving green stems on a pale grey painted wooden ledge
    Cherries in a glass bowl, Jos van Riswick. Oil painting.
    A simple footed glass bowl brims with glossy dark red cherries, their thin green stems curling out over the rim. The bowl sits on a worn pale grey ledge against a soft off-white wall. The near-monochrome setting lets the deep red fruit and the transparent glass carry the whole composition. Title and date are not confirmed.
  • Worn red tea tin with a flower emblem, a dark green glass bottle and three yellow apples on a polished wooden table
    Tea tin, bottle and yellow apples, Jos van Riswick. Oil painting.
    A scuffed red tea tin decorated with a blue flower stands beside a dark green glass bottle and three golden yellow apples. The objects rest on a warm polished table that reflects their shapes, set before an olive wall. The worn tin adds a touch of personal history to Jos van Riswick's quiet arrangement. Title and date are not confirmed.
  • Red apples in an open tarnished metal tin with its lid propped open, one apple in front on a soft grey table
    Apples in an old tin box, Jos van Riswick. Oil painting.
    Red apples fill an old tarnished tin box with its hinged lid tipped open. A single apple sits in front on a soft grey table against a warm beige wall. The gentle, even light and limited palette give the humble subject a meditative stillness. Signed lower left; title and date are not confirmed.
  • Speckled brown eggs piled in a white bowl with a thin blue rim on a weathered pale grey ledge against an off-white wall
    Brown eggs in a white bowl, Jos van Riswick. Oil painting.
    Speckled brown eggs are heaped in a plain white bowl with a fine blue rim, set on a weathered pale grey ledge. The soft, near-white background and gentle shadows reduce the image to a few calm shapes and tones. This minimal still life shows how Jos van Riswick finds quiet beauty in everyday food. Title and date are not confirmed.
  • Single red and green plum with its stem lying on a worn green-grey wooden ledge against a brown wall
    Single plum on a ledge, Jos van Riswick. Oil painting.
    One plum lies on its side on a worn green-grey ledge, its skin shifting from deep purple-red to yellow-green, a short stem pointing toward the viewer. A soft highlight and faint bloom on the skin are rendered with close attention. Small single-object studies like this test a still-life painter's skill with color and form. Title and date are not confirmed.
  • Red and yellow cherry plums with a green leaf lined up on a worn blue ledge around a dark glass jar with an orange seal
    Cherry plums with a preserving jar, Jos van Riswick. Oil painting.
    Small red and yellow cherry plums are scattered along a chipped blue ledge, with a single broad green leaf rising among them. At center sits a dark glass preserving jar with an orange rubber seal, its curved surface reflecting the fruit. The low horizon and dark wall give the modest scene a calm, contemplative mood. Title and date are not confirmed.
  • Mandarins in a black bowl, a leafy sprig in a frosted tea glass and one mandarin with leaves on a pale grey ledge
    Mandarins with a black bowl and tea glass, Jos van Riswick. Oil painting.
    Bright orange mandarins sit in a black bowl with a turquoise rim beside a frosted, ridged tea glass holding a leafy green sprig. A single mandarin with two leaves rests on the weathered pale ledge. This full view shows the complete composition, from the worn table edge to the soft white wall. Title and date are not confirmed.
  • Single plump green and russet pear with a short brown stem standing on a pale grey ledge against an off-white wall
    Single green pear, Jos van Riswick. Oil painting.
    One plump pear, green with russet patches and a stubby brown stem, stands upright on a pale grey ledge. Soft light from the left models its rounded form against an off-white wall. Single-fruit studies like this show Jos van Riswick's patient attention to skin texture and subtle color shifts. Title and date are not confirmed.

If you want to see more of Jos van Riswick’s still lifes and portraits, visit his official website at josvanriswick.nl.

Written

in

, , , ,