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About the portraitpainter

"If you have the choice between being an artist and being something else, you should be something else. Because if you really are an artist, deep in your heart, you know you don't have a choice."


Roderik van Schaardenburg (1966 Amsterdam) is a painter inspired by the visible world he traveled and its people.

From childhood onwards, he dedicated himself to the art of observation. However, undecided on the best route to follow and exploit his talent, he chose business school over art school, starting in the U.S. in Providence, Rhode Island, and completing his degree in Madrid, Spain. In his spare time he kept busy developing his painting skills and his own style by completing portraits of animals and people on commission. Following a period of six years in which he traveled the world, Roderik decided to focus solely on his calling and passion and returned to the Netherlands. Producing paintings for international clientèle, from Amsterdam to Geneva and from New York to Madrid, and having painted members of the Dutch Royal Family and Members of Parliament, his career continues to evolve successfully.

Roderik's portraits are known for their ability to capture the perfect likeness of the sitter, using a combination of brisk brush strokes and a fine use of color. His preferred medium is oil, painted on linen canvas or board, depending on the subject or preference of the client.
He works from a traditional 'sitting', photographs, or a combination of both.