Willem Bastiaan Tholen was raised in the town of Kampen, where he grew up in an artistic environment. His father, P.H.H. Tholen (1831-1913) was an enthousiastic amateur painter. He also acquainted his son with life in the country by going sailing, fishing and ice-skating. In this way Tholen became familiar with the landscape of the river IJssel, with its impressive skies.

The most important and recurrent theme in Tholen's early works are the peat-landscapes around Kampen, where the artist worked together in the early 1880's with Paul Joseph Constantin Gabriel. During the summers they spent together, the two artists lodged in small working-class houses and ventured out at day time into the rugged peat moors.

Through the years Gabriel's influence diminished and Tholen developed a style of his own. As early as 1883, Tholen gained international recognition and work by his hand was exhibited in Munich. A year later, Tholen participated in three international exhibitions and was rewarded various medals.