Coba Surie belonged to the Amsterdam Joffers, a group of refined lady painters that also included, among others, Lizzy Ansingh and Coba Ritsema. Within the group she fairly went her own way, preferring to paint Impressionist figure pieces and still lifes of fish, or everyday domestic objects, in rich shades of colour. In the summer, she departed for Brabant or Zeeland, usually with Ans van den Berg, who shared her home, where she turned her impressions into quickly executed drawings and watercolours.