Basic Information

Name: Wop Sijtsma: 1939 – 2013
Place of birth: Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Discipline: Painter, graphic artist, illustrator, art educator, and creative occupational therapist

EDUCATION

Arts and crafts school, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Private drawing lessons with established artists in Amsterdam
Teaching qualification in drawing

BIOGRAPHY

Wop Sijtsma developed a passion for drawing from an early age.
In 1965, Sijtsma moved to Curaçao with his wife, Rita. There, he worked as a graphic designer and taught drawing at secondary schools and at Akademia di Arte Kòrsou. For more than thirty years, he also served as a creative occupational therapist at the Dr. David Capriles Clinic.
Sijtsma illustrated numerous children’s books and created a wide range of Christmas cards, including screen-printed designs and cards for the Antillean Youth Fund. Through these projects, he made a lasting contribution to children’s culture in Curaçao.
His artistic practice combined a strong graphic sensibility with a refined approach to colour and composition. With just a few lines, he captured the character and expressive gestures of the human figure, building his paintings layer by layer through subtle variations in colour. His subjects ranged from serene landscapes and contemplative older figures to Caribbean music, carnival, and everyday life, with mothers and children forming a particularly recurring theme.

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

Two solo exhibitions, Gallery Alma Blou, Curaçao
Antepasado di Futuro, Group sexhibition Curacao
Floating Bridges, Gallery Alma Blou, Curaçao, 2020 (group exhibition)

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Illustrator of numerous children’s books