Sjaak Oosterling – An Artistic Ami Says Hi!

It’s always encouraging to get fan mail.  This one that came in yesterday is especially pleasing…

Good evening Mr. Dyke,

My hobby is painting old cars, tractors, trucks etc. of the fifties, the time that I grew up in Holland near the Belgian border   I have a special passion for Citroën cars of that time I am sending you this painting done in acrylic size 60 x 40 cm.

 Last year I visited British Columbia Canada and had a meeting with my friend Mel McConaghy in Prince George.  He is an old truck driver and has written some books about his life as trucker.  If you look at his website you can see more of my pictures:  https://melmcconaghy.com/sjaak-oosterling.html

I enjoy the website of your Citroën club I hope you like this painting.   
 
Many regards and success with your club.

Sjaak  Oosterling    
Goes  Zeeland  Holland

Sjaak was born in Holland in 1949 in a little village by the sea.  He grew up in the early fifties, just after the war when mechanization in agriculture and transportation was a big issue.  Many transportation companies bought dump trucks, mostly old American and Canadian Fords, Dodges and Chevrolets to restart their businesses.  For him it was the start of his admiration of the world of truckers.

Although his career went in a different direction, working for over 35 years in a psychiatric hospital as a social therapist, he kept at a hobby he began early on of painting and drawing.  At the same time he built up a sizable collection of old toys, mostly trucks, Dinky Toys and even tin toy windup cars.

Now retired Sjaak enjoys devoting more time to painting and drawing and using his toy collection as examples to create new things.   

It’s so nice to hear from him and see his wonderful art, particularly the piece he sent of the 2CV, Ani 6 and H Van, and this one of a Peugeot 404, Sjaak’s first car, painted in the French country side of Provence when he first got his driver’s license.

Here are a few other of his Citroën paintings;

Quite a talent!