Ronny Moortgat was born in Niel in Belgium in 1951. Ronny’s focus is on maritime subjects, which is the legacy of his childhood spent growing up on the banks of the River Schelde. His fascination with the sea was engendered from a young age, sailing the tidal estuaries of the Netherlands and The Channel as a child. Moortgat’s family would also leave an enduring legacy on the artist, as he has observed: “The reason to paint maritime subjects is probably to be found with my family roots. On my mother’s side there were quite a few river barge men and my father was involved in the shipping business.”