Egbert van Drielst was 22 when he moved from the province of Groningen to Amsterdam. As a landscape painter and draughtsman, he found inspiration in the dunes of Haarlem, the heathland of the Gooi district and above all, the still virtually unspoiled country of Drenthe Province. Van Drielst visited Drenthe almost every summer to sketch landscape studies. During the winter, they provided material for his paintings and detailed drawings.