About Roy Kerckhoffs

Roy Kerckhoffs is an award-winning artist whose work is recognized throughout California. Roy has been perfecting his photography and painting skills since the age of 10. He continues to amaze San Diegans with each new creation. His use of bold textures and barn wood style frames give his works a unique authenticity to the subjects.

Artist Statement

"In my work I enjoy conveying a history of a place. I love bold textures as these are created by the passing of time, therefore putting emphasis on bygone days. In particular, I aim to show the beauty that exists in human-made structures in wood, concrete and steel contrasted with soft organic forms from nature. My favorite subjects are industrial objects, ghost towns and coastal themes with an element of human origin in them. To obtain my goal I portray these by producing high-contrast black and white photographs and hand coloring the photographs with oil-based paints, using similar techniques from the early days of photography. My frames have a relation with the subject matter, so that the finished product is an integrated whole.

I was born in 1973 in the Netherlands. I was interested in visual arts from a young age. My father taught me to draw when I was 3 to 4 years old. I became fascinated by the paintings of the Dutch Masters and at about 10 years of age I became interested in photography when my parents bought a small point-and-shoot camera for me. I moved to San Diego, California in 2003 to become a scientist at the University of California San Diego (I have a PhD in bio-engineering). After teaching myself about photography I founded Eyeball Photography with my wife Marie in 2008, which became Roy Kerckhoffs Art in 2014. Also early in that year I gave up my profession and career as a scientist to pursue a full time career as an artist and photographer. On December 1st, 2015 I opened my studio in Carlsbad, California."