1879/1880, his parents gave him a tin of watercolours to occupy his time. Watercolour painting is a difficult technique, but Gerrit had soon mastered it. He produced his first oil painting in 1881, a seascape. His brother Derk had lent him his paints. The Van Houten children often spent the summer holidays with their grandparents Ten Bruggencate in Almelo, and after their grandparents’ deaths with their uncle and aunt Ten Bruggencate, who continued to live in the family home. Gerrit drew a lot in this wooded setting. After primary school, Gerrit attended the Stedelijk Gymnasium. However, the combination of school and drawing soon became too much for him. His parents therefore decided to take him out of school at the end of the second year to allow him to focus on an artistic career. Emerging artist As he no longer needed to attend school, Gerrit could travel to The Hague with his father in September 1882. The aim of the trip was not only to draw and paint but also to show his work to others. The Hague was the artistic centre of the Netherlands at the time. His uncle H.W. Mesdag and the art dealers Goupil & Cie tried to help Gerrit break into the art world there, but he did not succeed. Back in Groningen Gerrit continued to try to make a name for himself as an artist. He had already managed to have his watercolour De Bornse hut, which he had painted at the end of 1881, exhibited at Kunstlievend Genootschap Pictura in March 1882. In November of the same year he again exhibited a few watercolours at Pictura. They were well received and he would exhibit work there a few more times afterwards. The year 1883 was a year of setbacks. Gerrit's father Hindrik died on 6 May after a brief illness, aged only 50. As a consequence, the planned visit by Jozef Israels was cancelled. Once again, the young painter had missed the opportunity to get himself noticed with the aid of a famous artist. Later that year he tried to exhibit his work outside Groningen too, even succeeding in having a seascape admitted to the Exposition Internationale in Nice. Although Gerrit was a somewhat shy lad in daily life, he corresponded with various art societies and organizations at home and abroad. But despite all this correspondence, he never managed to sell a single work.