Klaas Verboom, Artist, 58
deb...@comcast.net
Wed, June 14, 2006
Has pieces in collections across Canada
By KATHY RUMLESKI, LONDON FREE PRESS REPORTER
Parkhill artist Klaas Verboom was praised Wednesday for his spirit of
giving, as well as his immense talent.
Verboom, 58, died at Strathroy Middlesex General Hospital early in the
day from liver cancer.
"He had a heart as big as his career," said friend Teresa Marie of
Grand Bend, who considered Verboom her mentor. They used to meet every
Monday night to paint.
"Klaas taught me how to paint. He was a wonderful, genuine and gentle
person and extremely talented."
Verboom married his longtime partner, Paulette, in April - shortly
after being diagnosed with cancer.
"She's a surgical nurse. She just retired two weeks before they got
married," Marie said. "They were just starting their lives (as a
married couple). They seem a little ripped off."
Verboom's work, mostly oil paintings, is in many public collections
across Canada, including the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, Avon
Canada in Montreal and Museum London.
"Museum London is very fortunate to have works by him in our
permanent collection," said the museum's executive director, Brian
Meehan.
"As an artist, Klaas carried on the great tradition of landscape
painting in this country and was able to capture the land of
Southwestern Ontario in beautiful detail. It's a real terrible loss
for the London arts community."
Verboom was chosen to paint a portrait of wheelchair athlete Rick
Hansen by his Man in Motion Tour team in 1986.
Two of his works - Fox and Hounds - were recently accepted for the
Master of Foxhounds Association of America Centennial Travelling Art
Exhibition, which will open in New York in January 2007 and travel
across North America for 12 major exhibitions.
Verboom's paintings fetched as much as $20,000 through the years,
Marie said.
One painting, Fall Splendor, was commissioned by a visiting Dutch
businessman who was browsing in Sandy Snelgrove's Gallery in London,
which represented Verboom, a London native.
The man wanted a specific size of painting for a spot in his office. He
paid Verboom $15,000 and told the artist he could paint whatever he
liked as long as it fit the dimensions.
Before the businessman came back to pick it up, Verboom was offered
another $15,000 to paint a second one.
Verboom was once asked about his goal as an artist by the Free Press.
He replied: "I want people to look at my work and say, 'Boy, this
guy really enjoyed painting these.'"
Verboom is also survived by his mother, Margaret, sons Bill Hindle and
Douwe Verboom and his stepson, Chris Cahill.
A memorial service will be held Saturday at 2 p.m. at the M. Box and
Son Funeral Home in Parkhill.