Biography Rick Triest

Biography Rick Triest

Rick Triest is a Dutch artist who has been active full-time for nearly two decades and is known for his expressive, colorful paintings inspired by Amsterdam, tulips, and the interplay of light and movement. His work is characterized by an intuitive working method, in which layers, texture, and spontaneity come together to create images that are both recognizable and distinctive.

“A painting has to do something — it has to linger, even if you aren't looking at it directly.”

His development as an artist began from a strong intrinsic urge to create. In the early years, the focus was entirely on experimenting with form, color, and technique, slowly building his own signature. Without fixed frameworks or academic limitations, he developed a free way of working in which intuition and repetition play a major role. This foundation still forms the core of his current work.

In his early years as a professional artist, Rick Triest focused primarily on the corporate market, a period that coincided with the years leading up to the financial crisis. During that time, he realized diverse commissioned art projects for hotels, offices, and public spaces, often tailoring his work to the architecture and atmosphere of a location. This phase laid an important foundation: not only technically and conceptually, but also in understanding how art functions within a space and for an audience. Following the shift in the market, he gradually moved his focus to a broader and more international audience. His work found its way to galleries and online art platforms, where he began exhibiting and selling directly to collectors. This development eventually led him to various art fairs in Europe, where he presented his work to an ever-growing audience. It is a period that has visibly shaped his practice—from commissioned work to developing his own recognizable signature that finds its own autonomous path.

“I do not work from a fixed plan, but from a feeling that develops during the painting process.”

It was during that period that his first studio was established — not a classic gallery, but a place where works were created *and* displayed immediately. The first sales soon followed, often through direct contact with visitors and passers-by. What stands out in this phase is not only the artistic development, but also a clear business acumen: the ability not only to create work, but also to independently bring it to an audience.

“I have always believed that art only truly comes alive when it hangs on someone’s wall.”

What began as a personal quest quickly grew into a professional practice. By consistently producing and maintaining direct contact with his audience, Rick Triest managed to build a broad following. He has since sold more than 40,000 original artworks to collectors, businesses, and interior design enthusiasts, both within the Netherlands and internationally. For many buyers, his work serves as their first introduction to original art — accessible in price, yet with a distinct style of his own. “For many people, this is their first artwork — that makes it extra special.”

In addition to his paintings, he developed a lifestyle and gift collection based on his work. This collection is now available in over 400 stores and distributed across more than 18 countries. Through this, he managed to translate his visual language to a wider audience without losing the essence of the original work.

Rick works from his studio, where every painting is made by hand. His process is free and intuitive, without a fixed sketch or final image. As a result, work emerges that grows in the moment and carries its own energy. It is precisely this working method that ensures no two paintings are the same, and every work forms a unique expression of a specific moment in his development as an artist.

“No two paintings are the same, yet they are recognizable — that is exactly the intention.”

Today, Rick Triest continues to evolve, with new series and perspectives that build upon his recognizable style. His work moves with the times but always remains rooted in the same foundation: color, movement, and the desire to create something that lingers.

In recent years, Rick Triest has increasingly returned to the core of his work: the painting as a unique object. In his studio, a recognizable signature emerges in which fixed color schemes, layered structures, and subtle golden lines come together to form a distinctive style—immediately visible, yet never fully replicable. These are works in which the brushstrokes remain palpable, where the material speaks, and where it is precisely the small imperfections that make the difference. At the same time, alongside painting, a new dedication has grown: making frames. Not as a sideline, but as an extension of the work itself. In the studio, these are crafted by hand, tailored to the painting, so that image and frame form a unified whole.

Parallel to this return to unique work, a new direction is developing in which his visual language is translated into collections and products. New series and designs are finding their way off the canvas, in a form that is more accessible and versatile, without losing the essence. Consequently, part of the focus shifts towards product design and development, while original paintings become scarcer and occupy an increasingly exclusive place within his oeuvre. Yet the foundation remains unchanged in the studio — in working with paint, canvases, brushes, and wood. There, with his hands and the material, the core of everything he creates still emerges.

Rick Triest