Coming soon
As part of the SALA festival in South Australia:
“Escapades”
A Visual Journey
From sketch to painting
This exhibition features a wide range of paintings, including watercolours, ink drawings, oils, and gouaches.
There will also be a selection of visual journals, sketchbooks and drawings. These have their inspiration from cycling and hiking through remote Australian and international landscapes, including the length of the River Murray.
When travelling through the often stunning landscapes, Geert sketches after he has finished his hike or ride. He always works from real life. Back in his studio he then converts the sketches into paintings.
“My sketchbooks help me to observe, to listen and to be at one with my surroundings.
And it is a mate, allowing me to rarely feel lonely on these long, remote, and often solitary journeys.”
Geert van Keulen
is an experienced traveller. In Australia he discovered a love for nature and unspoiled wilderness. Hiking is his passion but tour bike riding, and specifically bikepacking, are equally important to him.
Geert was born in the late fifties of the last century. He completed an apprenticeship as a printer - bookbinder in the Netherlands, and started working in the printing industry when he was 15 years old. He migrated to Australia in 1981.
He was in search for a fresh start. After travelling through Australia in an old Volkswagen Kombi, he stopped in Adelaide and followed a life changing Illustration and Design course.
After migrating to Australia he followed a Illustration and Design course and after working as an illustrator and graphic designer, he taught these professions for fifteen years at tertiary education institutions in Adelaide, South Australia.
Geert sketches on every trip - small or extensive - and back home he relives his travels by designing books. As a storyteller he records his journeys in words and images and producing these books gives him enormous satisfaction. He has also made a documentary about a large bike packing ride across the United States.
In his studio Geert paints and his work is equally inspired by his travel experiences.
