As a small boy Pim Bronkhorst was allowed to tell fairy tales in nursery school on a weekly basis. Again and again he knew how to hold their attention with his rich fantasy world.
The other way around: when his mother wanted to keep him busy for some time she simply placed an interesting photo or a nice picture in front of him. Not only was the picture fully examined  by the little boy but obviously to him there was a whole world hidden behind it that needed exploration.

During secondary school his drawings sometimes attracted a lot of attention. Especially a big and detailed drawing of a motorbike with countless attributes, situated in odd surroundings, was much looked at. It was considered controversial and therefore prematurely removed from a schools' exhibition.
He cared less about the security of studying then about the, at that time vague plans to become a painter or a musician. These plans were interrupted by a need for a closer examination of the eastern philosophy. He visited India and stayed in local monasteries.
Back in The Netherlands he lived in places like Amsterdam, Roermond, s'Hertogenbosch and Deventer and there he laid the foundation for his art.

He dreamed about roaming the endless ruins in the old city centre of Deventer, searching for something he could not find or for his forgotten whereabouts.
Part of these dreams were façades, staircases, secret passages to wild gardens with old moss-green stones and ancient alleys. They sometimes  reminded him of the atmosphere in movies of the old Italian movie directors.
It was in fact partly a reality, as old Deventer at that time was a somewhat dilapidated  city. Cottages with cracked masonry, wobbling to restore their balance, parts of old churches with mysterious ambiences.
These themes appear on a regular basis in the art of Bronkhorst.

Bronkhorst returned to Deventer and choose to dedicate his life to art. The visual artist Willie Zandvliet, who once advised the young painter, had died. However, from time to time he met the painter Jan Brugge. Having been his drawing-teacher at secondary school, the old master now gave him some advise.

In the seventies of the 20th century the term "magic-realism" was commonly used, a heritage from the pre-war years. However, the style of Pim Bronkhorst is  better called "imaginary realism". A realism, sometimes with surrealistic properties, but mainly with fascinating elements from reality.
These elements have truly found a place in his art in an inimitable way.

Throughout the years the old masters remained a source of inspiration that honed his skills to perfection. He was deeply impressed bij the play of light in the art of Vermeer, the curious pranks of Dali, or the range of colours by a contemporary master like Rauschenberg.

Bronkhorst succeeded in converting his imagination and creative vision in works of art, well-stocked with high-quality characteristics. The way the world presents itself to us, the way we perceive it, is only one of numerous
possibilities. In his work this point of view leaves a lasting impression.

"The art I produce does not belong to a specific place or a fixed time. Although an idea can strike like lightning, the art itself slowly comes into being, it really grows.
I use classic, well-tried and permanent materials to give shape to my visions.
I do not only strive for a skilled perfection in converting an idea to the reality of a painting, I try to put the intangible soul into it".

The paintings by Pim Bronkhorst immediately attract attention. The freedom of his imagination flows through a painting in fresh and natural colours.
Essentially his work is timeless.