Nick Willems

Painter

Nickolaas Ischmar Cornelus Koos Willems (b. 1989) is a Dutch artist who specializes in the primitive medium of wood and fire, working in a unique manner, within the representational field. He studied at the ArtEZ Contemporary Art Academy and graduated with distinction from the private Classical Art Academy for Painters in Groningen. Combining these two educations, he uses his knowledge of contemporary and classical art to create full-size art pieces. Through a meticulous, time-intensive process of working with the natural lines and textures of each wooden panel, Willems creates art pieces that preserve the material's inherent beauty, using various heat sources to paint with destruction and combining soft layers with rough scorched parts, resulting in strong contrast and unique textures.

Willems’ art explores themes of transience and time, highlighting the impermanence of life while honoring the enduring beauty of the environment. ‘’A lot of my work is about impermanence — that circle between life, death, and new life. This concept is empowered by the technique I use: wood and fire. The living and the perished.’’ His work has gained recognition through sales and exhibitions in various European cities, including Berlin and London, and he has had the honor of showcasing his art in China, at venues such as the Shaanxi Province Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art Xi'an, with his work included in the collection of the Xi'an Qujian Yin Art Museum in 2022. In 2023, Willems won the Earth’s Wild Beauty category in the prestigious David Shepherd Wildlife Artist of the Year competition in London, standing out among over 1.400 international entrants.