Rob van der Lei is a self-taught artist, born in 1969 on an river barge in the Netherlands.

His paintings can be in oils, acrylics, watercolor, ballpoint, coffee, wine, or any other medium that can be applied with a brush or an airbrush—but not with his fingers. Although he does use his fingers to smudge or correct, he is not a finger painter. Fun fact: he hated it when he had to do finger painting as a toddler in kindergarden.

The De_Lights light sculptures are made from papier-mâché, silk paper, gold leaf, metal wire, LEDs, copper wiring, and any other materials he can get his hands on. However, he prefers to work with natural materials as much as possible, to create the impression that they were made in a world where materials do not burden our children with problems they did not create—like nuclear waste and plastic do.

He also wants to evoke the feeling that these pieces could be made from nature itself, somewhere in a village in the mountains or on the coast, using whatever is found there. He is not a green activist, but he loves nature and would like humans to coexist with it in a respectful way.

Reflection Paintings
The reflection technique was developed during a collaboration with Ashley Christudason from Singapore. By working in various reflective layers and using special paints and techniques, an image is created that continually changes depending on the light, the viewing angle, and even the clothing of the viewer.

De_Lights
From one of his “travels,” he brought back the De_Lights light sculptures—replicas of light beings that embody freedom. These sculptures, like the original creatures and freedom itself, are fragile and powerful at the same time.

Experimentation
Recently, he has started experimenting with bringing all of these elements together into a single artwork.

Work with Rob van der Lei through Commissions, collaboratie, painting lessons or collecting a original work. 

Essence Portrait – Celebrates who you have become.
Family Essence Portrait – Who is this family?
Memorial Artwork – Keeps the essence of the deceased alive.
Your Dream Life Vision Painting – A daily reminder of what you truly want and who you want to be.
Company Vision/Message – Show what your company stands for and who it serves.
Collect original Artwork

It is possible to work with Rob in several ways:

• Rob creates the artwork for you after an in-depth interview.
• Deep dive: you create the artwork yourself, guided by Rob, or together with him—while learning how to paint.
• You book a retreat for your Dream Life Vision Painting.
• You join the online painting course.

Want to get to know him? Join the community.