Richard Kooyman’s paintings are inspired by fleeting visual phenomena that take place along shorelines and deep inside forests. How the sun sparkles at the edge of a wood or brief glimmers of light reflected on the water are represented in his paintings with concise and confident brushwork. The use of temperate colors specifies an emotional connection to a place and time.
Kooyman has been awarded artist residencies at the Vermont Studio Center, The Heliker- LaHotan Foundation on Cranberry Island, Maine, The Antico Borgo Finocchieto in Tuscany, and most recently a Visiting Artist residency at the American Academy in Rome. He is a recipient of a NEA Artists Grant, a Michigan Arts Council Grant, and The Michigan Governor’s Award in the Arts.
Available Works
First Snow, 14 x 17in - $1,800
Across the Lake II, 12 x 12in - $1,200
White Pines on the Beach, 20 x 24in - $3,400
Woods, 30 x 36in - $6,000
Canada, 36 x 38in - $6,400
Shoreline, 16 x 20in - $2,400
Sunset I, 12 x 12in - $1,200
Sunrise, 24 x 30in - $3,900
Sunset II, 12 x 12in - $1,200
Across the Lake I, 12 x 12in - $1,200
Arcadia Marsh, 20 x 30in - $3,100
Northbar Outlet, 30 x 30in - $4,800
Killarney, 14 x 11in - $1,200
Dusk, 18 x 24in - $2,600
Birches, 14 x 11in - $1,200
Distant Horizon, 18 x 15in - $1,600
Two Pines on the Beach, 20 x 22in - $2,600
Pines Near the Beach, 30 x 48in - $4,600
Get to Know Richard Kooyman
What drives you to create?
I think painting or writing is the most radical thing an individual can do today. An artist has the ability to make or show something that no machine or corporation can. Making works of art and having works of art in our homes is a way to convey what being human is about. I'm interested in the fact that art isn't a product on a shelf. It can't be mass produced. Making art is a way to be.
Are there places you’d like to someday visit specifically to paint?
Nova Scotia and Scotland
What does your process look like?
One of my teachers years ago said that making a painting is like a dog circling round and round before it finally finds the right spot to lay down. There is a routine of daily life to deal with, bills to pay, supplies to order (circling round and round) before I can pick up a brush and deal with the visual ideas in my mind. Then once it begins, all those other things disappear.
Featured Exhibitions
Browse Richard’s work alongside Melanie Parke’s paintings in their 2025 two person show, Among Other Things.
Sold Works
• Meteor - SOLD
• Pink Sky - SOLD
• Moon Over the Big Lake - SOLD
• Fall Sparkle - SOLD
• Sparkle - SOLD
• Opening to the Beach - SOLD
• View of the Island - SOLD
• Geminid - SOLD
• Forest Path - SOLD
• Five Birds in the Garden - SOLD
• And All This - SOLD
• Two Figures in the Green - SOLD
• Orange Path - SOLD
Q&A w/ Richard
Read through Richard Kooyman’s artist Q&A to discover more about the inspiration for his work, his favorite museums, how he spends his time outside of his Michigan studio, and more.