Meet The Artist
Hyper-realistic art: this is the essence of the work of Thomas Thijssen. This award-winning artist uses various techniques: drawing with charcoal, painting with oil paint, photography and tattooing. With his pencil, brush or needle he manages to capture a person’s soul and portrays it lifelike. At first sight, people often mistake his portrait drawings for a photo.
Feel free to send me an email: thomas@thomasthijssen.com
Artworks
As an artist, Thomas aims to capture a person's soul and portray it in a hyper-realistic way. He made his first works of art with charcoal. Thomas is an autodidact and likes to keep developing new techniques. In addition to charcoal, he has discovered the magic of oil paint, with which he can play with color.
To make portraits as lifelike as possible, Thomas spends hours drawing or painting. In this way he can completely lose himself, for instance in making the structure of the skin: "Then I really get into a flow, that's so wonderful!" Art is a way for Thomas to tell a story and to amaze his audience. In addition, he uses magical realism in his work, for example in the portrait 'The Butterfly Girl'.
TV-Show Winner
Sterren op het Doek
Making a new portrait of a face that is familiar for so many people: this sounded like a nice challenge to Thomas. He participated in the Dutch TV program Sterren op het Doek (Stars on Canvas), in which three artists portray a famous Dutchman. He made a hyper-realistic portrait of former professional football player and football coach Ronald Koeman.
Ethereal Passage
In Ethereal Passage, a transcendent journey is captured a passage that only the soul can undertake. This mixed media artwork, crafted with meticulous care, features two distinct layers that work in harmony to create a profound sense of depth. The front layer, on partially transparent glass with an oil paint finish, allows light to pass through, adding a luminous, almost otherworldly quality to the piece.
Halfway - a portrait of Jesus
My latest project is called ‘Halfway - a portrait of Jesus’. This hyper-realistic charcoal drawing reflects my view on Jesus bearing the cross and in this way helping us carrying our personal burdens. For me it feels like Jesus is already in between two worlds in this portrait. Showing this work to others is very special, since it inspires a lot of people to share their personal stories with me. I created this unique image myself. I made a reference for my charcoal drawing, using my background as a photographer. This is my biggest drawing thus far, in next level resolution, 1.00 x 1.30 m. Prints are for sale.
Photography
Thomas's background as a photographer comes in handy in his work as an artist. His portrait photos are intriguing and went all over the world. He was named one of the top five black and white portrait photographers worldwide by Digital Photo Magazine. Thomas won a award with his commercial photography for Hertog Jan.
