Christiaan H. Mostert (Dutch) was born into an artist’s family in the Netherlands in 1950, immigrated to Southern California in 1961, where he attended numerous Art classes in High School, College and ended up his formal Art education at the Art Center School of Design in Los Angeles.

Always having been interested in drawing and painting since early childhood, and being greatly encouraged by his Father who was an excellent watercolorist, he sold his first commissioned painting after entering a High School Art Exhibition in 1965.

His first Art-related job was as a technical illustrator – not too creatively inspiring, but it forced him to get in the habit of paying close attention to the details. After 20 years of working for several large corporations and a stint in Saudi Arabia, all the while doing his drawing and painting on the side, he started his own design and illustration studio in 1979 doing mostly commercial art, illustration and architectural rendering.

It was during this time that he started doing Art shows all up and down the West Coast, as many as 35 shows a year. It didn’t take him long to realize that to do these shows he didn’t need to live in LA, so in 1990, he packed up his easel and brushes and headed for the Oregon Coast, where he now makes his home with his wife, Joni, in the North Bend area.

Able to give up the commercial art, and concentrating on the fine art after moving to paradise, he opened up his own fine art studio and gallery in Glasgow, on Coos Bay.

He also started painting out on a regular basis, learning how to make his paintings look more natural and less photographic.

Today, he is concentrating mostly on painting the maritime scene, and everything that it entails, in both watercolor and oil, in the studio and on location, gathering numerous awards for his work on both coasts. He particularly enjoys painting various marine vessels (from an old wooden dinghy to huge ocean liners) in extreme detail and complex compositions, especially those vessels of historical significance. He also has a fondness for tug boats, especially the old wooden steam tugs. But mostly he is busy recording the ever-changing Oregon Coast maritime environment for those who were a part of it today and for those who were not able to experience this wondrous place in this time.