Reijer Johan Antonie Stolk was a graphic artist , painter , sculptor and inventor. Stolk was born on Java. He migrated from East Java to the Netherlands between the ages of three and twelve. In 1910 he enrolled in the Applied Arts School in Haarlem. In 1930 he embarked on a trip to the Gold Coast and Nigeria to study patterns on clothing fabrics. This journey had a major impact on his artistic work.