Coen de Rooij was born on 2 January 1972 in Helmond. Prior to his accident, Coen worked as a printer and furthermore attended a school for graphic design in Eindhoven. In September 1989, the 17-year old Coen was involved in a car accident where he suffered a grave injury to his spine that left him paralysed from the neck down. He spent a long time in rehabilitation. In 1991 he attended a painting demonstration given by Kees Schut, Full Member of VDMFK, which inspired him to learn to draw with the mouth.
So he tried it himself. He came to enjoy it very much and steadily improved his skills. In 2001 he became a Student Member of the Association. In 2010 he was granted Associate Membership of VDMFK. Coen de Rooij predominantly paints landscapes of his native country, Netherlands. He makes use of different techniques, be it oil, acrylic or watercolour. Today he says that his artistic activity “is the most wonderful thing for me”.
