About

I have just returned from Canada where I saw just about every car, business, and boat flying the red maple leaf in response to the threats the US has been making toward Canadians. It was inspiring and I felt welcomed.
Melanie and I were at a lodge up near the French River where hundreds of years ago French explorers first made contact with Anishinaabe indigenous people.
As a painter, the Canadian landscape has always represented the start of my love for painting. The Group of Seven and especially Tom Thomson were so inspiring to me in the way they painted the landscape.
My trip was filled with being in the landscape, rededicating myself to a reading practice, and writing; of which I am making plans to share some of those words and ideas in the near future.


Richard Kooyman Sept 2025



Earning my MFA from Ohio State University I have been awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Artist Grant, a Michigan Arts Council Grant, and The Michigan Governor’s Award in the Arts. I have also been an artist-in-residence at the Vermont Studio Center, The Heliker- LaHotan Foundation, The Antico Borgo Finocchieto in Tuscany, and a Visiting Artist at the American Academy in Rome.


Why do I make paintings?

I believe making a work of art is still one of the most important personal, social, and political acts a person can do.

Studio Visits
If you would like to visit my and Melanie Parke’s studio and see the work in person please email- richardkooymanart@gmail.com

Shipping
Paintings can be professionally and safely shipped via UPS. Works too large to ship via UPS (over 48” x 52”) are securely crated and shipped FEDEX truck freight anywhere in the US.
Contact me about sending works on approval.