Dorus Brekelmans studied at the Karel De Grote Hogeschool (College of Fine and Audiovisual Arts) in Antwerp, obtaining his degree in Fine Arts and Illustration in 1998. He immediately began working as a freelance artist and illustrator. His professional career had always been associated with art in some way, but it was not until recently that Brekelmans began to focus more seriously on his career as a fine artist.

 

Brekelmans is less concerned with replicating the details of a subject as he is with capturing its emotional quality; the spark that drew him to the subject in the first place.

Brekelmans' oeuvre encompasses a diverse range of themes: portraits, landscapes, beach scenes and movement-focused images belonging to his “Energy” and “Rise and Fall” series. His process involves applying paint spontaneously to the canvas with a palette knife and brushes. The distinctive markings left by the palette knife is particularly effective in forming the rhythmic compositions seen in several of his works.

 

Paintings such as “Sunny Days” and “Beach Wind” depict the innocence and pure joy of youth. The unhurried curiosity of a young girl playing in the sand is harmoniously brought to life by Brekelmans’ warm palette and expressive brushwork. It is a testament to Brekelmans' ability to capture the spirit of his subjects, in that they never seem too self-serious. Rather, they have a carefree, kinetic quality about them.

 

Since 2006 Brekelmans’ paintings have been exhibited in galleries throughout the Netherlands and Italy. His work is held in private collections and commissioned by corporations and individuals alike.