Gert-Jan van der Kooij has been wowing residents and with huge sand murals on Walton’s beaches.
Often visiting the coastal town from the Netherlands, Gert-Jan spends hours creating illustrations of Walton’s scenery, local events and celebrities.
When in Walton, he stays with resident Alison Mitchell.
Gert-Jan said: “In the Netherlands we do not have a promenade like the one here in Walton.
“Back home, people must use drones to see what I was drawing but here people can see my art much more easily.
“I love Walton because of the high promenade along the beach and the art-loving community here.
“When I visit, I am invited to stay with a wonderful couple Alison and Clive where I can stay for free – they also cook very good meals for me.”
The 47-year-old has an interesting process when creating his art.
He said: “I prepare all of my art on the computer and load it on my VR headset.
“I then project the image on to the beach and trace its likeness with my rake.”
Gert-Jan has been producing sand murals for ten years and he loves creating art that incorporates parts of nature.
“I love co-creating with the sea,” he said. “It provides me with a new blank canvas every day.
“I like the process of letting the old things go and creating space for new things.”
Residents have marvelled at his artwork, bringing new life to the beaches of Walton.
Alison Mitchell said: “We accommodate Gert-Jan in our home to enable him to bring his amazing artistic talent to our little town.
“He did a great artwork featuring our beach hut, PoshnDecks, this morning at Eastcliff and did one for the Last Fisherman Café too!”
