Gal-Arie.com

Because painting is a way of life…

About Gal-Arie

BORN IN POST WAR SCHIEDAM IN LATE 1947 ARIE MUNNIK STARTED DRAWING FUNNY PEOPLE AND BUILDINGS FROM THE MOMENT HE COULD HOLD A PENCIL AND USED ALL AVAILABLE MEANS, WHICH WERE NOT MANY IN THOSE DAYS .

HERE IS HIS STORY:

IN THE EARLY 1960 TIES I WAS AMONGST THE WINNERS OF A SCHOOL DRAWING CONTEST; THE PRICE WAS ACCESS TO AN ART CLASS IN THE SCHIEDAM MUSEUM OF ARTS. THEN MANAGED BY THE FAMOUS PIERRE JANSEN. A DREAM OF ANY YOUNG LADY.

A FANTASTIC TIME STARTED, EVERY SATURDAY AFTERNOON IN THE GIANT LOFTS OF THE MUSEAMWHERE WE WERE LEARNT TO DRAW, PAINT, MAKE SCULPTURES OUT OF ALMOST ANY MATERIAL AND WE HAD A GLIMPSE OF THE RUNNING EXPOSITIONS OF MODERN ART OF THE MID SIXTIES, SOMETIMES AMAZINGLY SIMPLE AND VERY INSPIRING.

LATER ON WHEN PIERRE JANSEN BECAME A FAMOUS TELEVISION ART EXPERT, EVERY DUTCHMAN REMEMBERS THE SKINNY TALL MAN WITH THE LONG THIN FINGERS, WHO MADE THE DUTCH AWARE THAT THERE WAS MORE THEN MEDIEVAL ART OF OUR GREAT PAINTERS, HE BECAME A CELEBRITY…

HIS SUCCESSOR WAS LUUK SCHOLTEN, A THEN YOUNG AND MODERN PAINTER WHO LEARNED US ALL THE DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES, BOTH REALISTIC AND EXPRESSIONISM.

AT HOME I PRACTICED WITH GOUACHE PAINT ON PAPER, AND WITH BOARDMARKERS ON CARTON AND SEVERAL FIRST TRIALS WITH OILPAINT.

DURING MY MILITARY SERVICE I WAS THE DECORATOR OF THE PLATOON, AND I PAINTED THE INFORMATIONBOARDS FOR THE KITCHEN, THE FUEL TRUCK AND OTHER SERVICES, WHILE ON EXERCISE ABROAD.

BACK ON THE BASIS I BECAME FRIENDS WITH ANOTHER “ARTIST IN THE SHELL”FROM THE SAME PLATOON, AND WE MADE OUR OWN “CANVASSES “”WITH WOOD AND WHITE TABLE PLASTIC, FROM THE ROLL ARRANGED BY THE BOYS IN THE KITCHEN, AND USED ALL THE PAINT WE COULD LAY HANDS ON. SOME OF THESE EARLY CREATIONS ARE STILL EXISTING.

AFTER MARRIAGE WE DECORATED OUR FIRST FLAT, COMPLETELY WITH “OWN” CREATIONS, AND PAINTED THE WALLS AND THE DOORS IN FLOWER POWER LIKE PATTERNS, AND I MADE MY FIRST EXPOSITION IN THE LOCAL YOUTH BAR.

WE MOVED OUT OF SCHIEDAM TO THE COUNTRYSIDE HALFWAY BETWEEN ROTTERDAM AND ANTWERP , OUDENBOSCH.

YEARS WENT BY AND CONCENTRATION WENT TO THE WORKING CARREER, AND PAINT ACTION WAS VERY LOW, I KEPT ON JIGSAWING THOUGH, “”ANOTHER PLEASANT TICK” I CONTINUED SINCE CHILDHOOD, AT ONE TIME THE WHOLE STREET WAS FULL OF ARIE MUNNIK HOUSENUMBERPLATES, EACH A DIFFERENT DESIGN. NOT TO MENTION THE WOODEN TOYS FOR THEMEANWHILE BORN OFFSPRING, INCL CARS, LORRIES, BUSES, LOCOMOTIVES, SKELTERS FROM OLD PUSHBUGGIES, AND EVERYTHING WITH WHEELS.
LOGO’S AND NAMEBOARDS FOR THE KINDERGARTEN AND THE TENNISCLUB TO MANY TO MENTION.

WE MADE THINGS WHICH DID NOT EXIST FOR OUR OWN USE, AND THE BOYS WERE VERY PROUD, ALWAYS THOUGH WITH VISIBLE IMPERFECTIONS WHICH SHOWED IT WAS ALL HANDMADE, AND NOT VICTIM OF MASS PRODUCTION.

IN THE LATE NINETIES, I PICKED UP PAINTING AGAIN, AND FROM THEN ON WITH ACRYL ON CANVAS, ANY THINKABLE COLOR IS NOW AVAILABLE IN ACRYIL AND MEANTIME I HAD MY STUDIO IN THE HOUSE “ON THE POND”, AND FROM THEREON PRODUCTION WENT UP, AGAIN BACK TO THE FUNNY FACES AND THE INSPIRING BUILDINGS AND CITYVIEWS, MY INSPIRATION FOR THE LATTER WAS MY VIEW OUT OF THE WINDOW FROM MY OFFICE, IN THEHIGH-RISE OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER IN ROTTERDAM.

THE CITY OF ROTTERDAM WAS AND IS STILL REBUILDING FROM THE DAMAGE OF THE1940BOMBARDMENTS, WHICH DESTROYED THE HEART ENTIRELY . THE DECOR IS STILL CHANGING AND THE CITY HAS BECOME A GREAT ARCHITECTURAL “MASTERPIECE” WITH MILLIONS OF VISITORS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE. THIS IS STILL MY DECOR NOW.

IN 2004 I MET MY PRESENT WIFE ANNELIES HOEFSLOOT, SOME EXTRAORDINARY POINTS CAME TO THE SURFACE, WHEN WE FOUND OUT WE SHARED THE PASSION FOR PAINTING AND SOME OTHER ODD THINGS, FROM THERE ON THE STORY CONTINUED AND THERE WERE 2 PAINTERS IN THE HOUSE .

ANNELIES IS THE LADY OF THE MANY COLORFUL “GOOD MOOD“ PAINTINGS WITH WINE DRINKING PEOPLE, ALWAYS CHIQUELY DRESSED. WITH CHANDELEERS AND WINECOOLERS, AS WELL AS OTHER ‘FEELGOOD’ WORKS IN DIFFERENT SETTINGS.

MEANTIME OUR PAINTINGS ARE IN MANY DIFFERENT PLACES IN EUROPE ,
SPAIN BELGIUM ENGLAND GERMANY SWITZERLAND, AND THE PEOPLE ARE STILL VERY HAPPY WITH THEM AND EVERY NOW AND AGAIN WE GET A PHOTO OF A NEWLY FURNISHED HOUSE, THE GERMANS ARE OUR GREATEST FANS.

IN 2011 WE BOTH SHOWED OUR PAINTINGS IN A 10 WEEKS EXPOSITION IN THE WORLD TRADE CENTER ART GALLERY IN ROTTERDAM, ( 26 PIECES) COMPLETE WITH VERNISSAGE RECEPTION .PRESS ARTICLES AND PHOTOS IN ONE OF THE MAIN PAPERS, BIG HEADER WITH “” DANCING BUILDINGS “” AND VERY GOOD REACTIONS FROM MANY UNEXPECTED CORNERS. PAINTING DURING WORKING HOURS BECAME THE NEW IDEAL OF MANY.

BUT WE NEVER STOPPED PAINTING AND SPENT MOST OF THE WINTER EVENING BEHIND OUR EASLES IN THE STUDIO, THE WORKS WERE PILING UP AND WE SAID TO EACHOTHER WE NEED A PLACE TO SHOW THEM, AS HERE AGAINST THE WALL ITS A WASTE OF CREATIVE ENERGY. THOSE WORKS DESERVE BETTER, THAN LEANING ON EACHOTHER.

THEN THAT ONE DAY IN OCTOBER 2015 CAME, I DROVE THROUGH TOWN WERE WE LIVE AND SAW A FOR SALE SIGN ON A HOUSE WITH A SHOP IN THE GROUNDFLOOR, I REMEMBERED I LIIKED THAT LITTLE HOUSE EVER SINCE I CAME LIVING IN OUDENBOSCH, IN THE MID SEVENTIES , I HAD NEVER NOTICED IF WAS FOR SALE , I CALLED THE REAL ESTATEBROKER FROM THE CAR AND INSISTED ON A VIEWING THE NEXT MORNING . 2 DAYS LATER THE SALE WAS CONFIRMED AND WE OPENED THE CURTAINS OF THE GROUND FLOOR TO NEVER CLOSE THEM AGAIN . THETOPFLOORS WERE CONVERTED INTO AN APARTMENT FOR ONE OF OUR SONS, AND EVERYBODY WAS HAPPY.

THE NAME GAL-ARIE WAS QUICKLY FOUND AND AMAZINGLY STILL AVAILABLE AS .COM. IN LATE NOVEMBER THE GAL-ARIE OPENED ITS DOOR ON SATURDAYS AND THE REACTIONS HAVE BEEN OVERWHELMINGLY POSITIVE .

THE NEW BUYERS ARE ALL SMILING EVERY MORNING WHEN THEY ENTER THE ROOM WITHTHEIR GOOD MOOD PAINTING. THEY NOW SEND THEIR NEIGHBOURS AND CHILDREN AND THE STORY SPREADS .

A RECENTLY RENOVATED OFFICE BUILDING TOOK A BUNCH, AND THEIR COMPANY RESTAURANT WITH 7 PAINTINGS ON THE HUGE WHTE WALLS IS NOW THE MOST POPULAR PLACE IN THEBUILDING, AND THE WORKERS AND STAFF LOVE THEM, AND SUGGESTED THE LONG WHITE CORRIDORS TO UNDERGO THE SAME METAMORPHOSE SOON.

THIS IS THE STORY IN A NUTSHELL , A COCONUTSHELL. THE WEBSITE IS STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION, COME BACK SOON!

ARIE MUNNIK / ANNELIES MUNNIK- HOEFSLOOT—AUGUST 2016 -OUDENBOSCH -HOLLAND

  1. Karel & Marianne

    Wat een verhaal!
    Heel mooi
    Goed bezig

  2. Magda

    Hoi, prachtig verhaal, maar je moet nog even de leestekens en de spaties hier en daar aanpassen, sommige woorden zijn aanelkaargeplakt enz.
    Groet Magda en Ronald

  3. Leo konemann

    Ziet er leuk uit

    • amunnik_999hc244

      leo konemann,
      welke leo konemann is dit ?? die uit vlaardingen ?
      van de camping in hoeven destijds ? laat eens wat horen , ik zie die mail nu pas omdat die website overhoop lag ,
      hart groeten \arie munnik

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