Jo Debije
I make paint things
because it is beautiful to do.
I make paint things
because there is an insurmountable inner compulsion to paint.
I make paint things
because it's the hardest thing to do.
I make paint things
because it's the easiest thing to do.
The born painter.
The raw primal force.
The creative prodigy. He has to paint; he can't live without it. Always searching for the new and the pure, for the "wow." Lots of research, trying everything. Doing and doing and doing. Inspiration pours out of his ears, like an inexhaustible source. He wanted to go to art school, but his parents insisted he should learn a "real profession." So occupational therapy it was. The inner compulsion to paint soon trumps everything else. And so from over a decade ago painting is all he does do. Over the past 10 years, this has resulted in some 175 large and dozens of smaller paintings, more than 50 exhibitions, and many happy people who have purchased a work.
Thank you all.
Josie Arnoys
In our work, Jo and I compement each other perfectly. He works with a lot of power while I am more reserved. He can set the tone very quick and create a foundation. I focus on the details and work more from art analysis perspective.
A perfectionist.
You could always find me drawing, so after pre-university education (VWO), I went to art school; it was just a given. I applied to various academies and was accepted at all. In that period the saying was "a smart girl prepares for her future" and consciously I chose graphic and typographic design "because I want to earn my own living." After graduating from the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague (graduated in 1992) and the Utrecht School of the Arts (graduated in 1995), I worked as a designer for television designer (successively at RTL, HollandMediaGroep, Valkieser Solutions, and UnitedBroadcast Facilities) for more than 12 years and as a part-time lecturer at the Utrecht School of the Arts for 8 years. Now to prove that you can indeed make a living from and for art.
Jo & Josie
After 11 years of working as a couple, we've been independent again since early 2025. The fact that the work we've created together since our breakup is still flying off the shelves proves that we're still strong collaborators!
An own path, an own style
Mix our qualities together and a 'painting thing' is created.
A connection between the great and the small,
the forces between heaven and earth
and the magic of ebb and flow
provide us with a lot of inspiration.
Read here what our customers say about our paint things.
Also read: Jo & Josie in BN de Stem/Indebuurt (May 2025)