The Empire’s Last Cowboy

Description

Pieter Verduijn, born in the Netherlands, is a multilingual entupreneur with two decades of experience in the Dutch, Aruban, and American education systems. Known as a “Jack of all trades,” Pieter excels in designing and implementing STEAM lessons tailored to the unique interests of students from 1st to 12th grade in his innovative makerspace. Pieter prefers to call himself a “maker” rather than aligning with a specific art movement, as he is not confined to painting, sculpture, or photography alone. Instead, he integrates all these skills to create unique art pieces, often incorporating electrical components, as seen in his “space-clock” exhibit from two years ago. His work frequently merges 3D printing with various media, though he also enjoys creating traditional paintings. Pieter’s artistic inspiration draws from combining peaceful nature with futuristic elements like robots and spaceships. He loves to make his audience look twice, initially seeing a serene painting of a whale or the Sierra Nevada Mountains, only to discover a hidden twist: the whale swimming in space being chased, or an old, rusty AT-AT vehicle standing for decades by a mountain stream where deer drink. Pieter is a huge fan of Steampunk, Cyberpunk, Science Fiction, Realism, and Surrealism, reflecting his diverse interests and imaginative approach to art and education.