Curriculum in English.

Ria Smit-Snakenborg ( 20-9-1954 ) was born in the village of Kolham in the province of Groningen. At the age of 10 she moved to Beetsterzwaag in the province of Friesland. After her study at the University of Leeuwarden ( history of arts, handcraft, youth-counseling ) she moved to the Twente-district and became a teacher and a counsellor at St.-Canisius Highschool in Almelo.

She started the art of painting in 1990. At that time she did not have her own atelier, therefore she used the atelier of the wellknown painter Paul Tieke. Later on she got her own atelier.

In spring 1991 the famous French art-critic Michel Larivière saw some of her paintings, he got impressed and he invited her to exhibit paintings in one of his galleries. The invitation lead to a summer-exhibition in Cherbourg (F).  After this exhibition, due to articles in Dutch newspapers, Ria has been invited to exhibit paintings in several places in the Netherlands.

In 1992 she painted her first portrait in aquarel. 'I wanted to experience what it would be painting portraits. From the very first moment it impressed me. I got totally on with it'.

Since 1995 she became the regular teacher of the aquarelgroup 'De Kolk' in Almelo.

At the beginning of 1997, after a thorough examination, she became member of the Amsterdam Art Society 'De Kunstkring Thorbecke '. The membership offered her possibilities to participate in international art manifestations, organized by 'De Kunstkring'. A direct result was that her paintings now are to be seen in a lot of places all over the world.

Her painting "Inner Strenght' has been rewarded with the Prix d'Encouragement at the 'Salon International de peinture a l'eau Trég'aquarelle' at the French village of Trégastel. A exhibition/contest in which artists from all over the world participate in ( 1998 ).

In 2003 a Spanish gallery owner visited her exhibition in her home town Tubbergen (NL). After he saw her works he invited her to show some of her paintings to the Spanish people. This invitation lead to a summer exhibition in 2005 at the 'Estudio de Arte de Santiago' in Triacastela.

In the end of 2009 and in the first months of 2010 Ria exhibited paintings in one of the leading galleries in Ootmarsum: 'Status Aparte'. During the period 2010 - 2018 she participated in several art manifestations throughout the Netherlands. e.g. Groningen, Doetinchem, Bergen and Leek.

In 2012 the prestigious gallery 'Agora' in New York invited her to participate in an exposition about Modern Dutch Painters. A very special invitation. However, due to circumstances, she sadly could not respond to it.

In the summer of 2018 Ria exhibited some twenty of her acryl-works at the St. Piter in Ureterp ( Friesland ).