Josef Wilhelmus Veltman, son of a typographer, chose the printing profession at an early age. He also developed his artistic talent as a student at the city drawing school in Maastricht. Both talents are represented in his oeuvre. He made a name for himself as an extremely skilled typographer and also developed as a painter of powerfully designed landscapes, characteristic Limburg farms, villages and - occasionally - figures. Veltman lived and worked in Maastricht all his life.