Ids Wiersmaartist • painterBrantgum 1878-1965 Tytsjerksteradiel

Ids Wiersma painted urban, rural scenes and landscapes, but his most beloved works are his Frisian harbours and Frisian lakes with sailing ships under a Dutch sky. He did this with a skillful hand and a sharp eye. He had an eye for the evening sun on sails and flat-bottomed boats propelled by a strong breeze. Wiersma was born in the Frisian Brantgum as the son of agricultural labourers. At a young age, he drew a lot, and because he was unfit for heavy manual labour, his work was shown to Jozef Israëls and H.W. Mesdag. As a result, he was admitted to the Hague Academy in 1898. He also took lessons from Frits Jansen. In this early period, he received a Royal grant for free painting for three consecutive years. In 1918, he returned to his beloved Friesland, where he settled as a painter in Drachten and began a productive period. After a short time in Amsterdam, from 1926, he definitively returned to Friesland.