art

Scientifically Inspired Whimsy

/ natashavannetten

I imagine you have probably heard the phrase, ‘variety is the spice of life’. However, I would prefer if the saying went, “curiosity is the spice of life.”

Variety often depends on outside factors, but curiosity comes from within. I think curiosity is a skill that we can nurture and develop and, when you do this, you will reap great rewards. Curiosity means to engage with the world and not just take things at face value. To question things and ponder.

Curiosity is something that starts off strongly when we are young because there is so much that we don’t know. Although it’s intrinsic, it is something we can loose. As we go through life we can slip into a pattern of accepting things as “just the way they are” and loose that attitude of engagement with life. This is why I think it’s important to stretch out those curiosity muscles and exercise wonderment.

Do you need a little curiosity kick-start? Here are a few places that I find inspiration:

One of the main topics that stirs my curiosity is whenever art mixes with scientific elements. Add a pinch of imagination and I am hooked! Speaking of which, I thought I would share a few photos from the Watercolour Animal Pop-up workshop that I instructed last weekend. These are just a sample of the incredible and intricate creatures that the participants created.

And here are a few creatures in more detail:

Upcoming events:

This Sunday (tomorrow) I will be participating at Apple Day, an event at Sea Cider from 11-4 as part of the market inside the pavilion. For more information about this free event as well as a list of my upcoming holiday workshops, please click here.

Summer Rain & Dreamy Whales

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It’s hard to believe that summer is starting to wrap up already. The individual days have felt full but as a whole it’s flown by very fast! A few highlights for me have been instructing a drawing workshop at the Sidney aquarium, participating in the Paint-In and summer markets (including last weekend in Tofino and Ucluelet), ocean dips, kayak camping, community kids’ craft activities, adding a new whale species to my whale ‘sightings list’ (a minke!), working on drawings for my calendar and getting to volunteer again with Straitwatch.

It’s felt like I haven’t had too much time to process everything that has been happening as I have been moving focus from one project to the next. This is why that day helping Straitwatch stood out for me this summer. Not just because I was able to connect with the team and support this important work (and get to see whales) but because it was a day that absolutely BUCKETED rain! I don’t know about you, but summer rain is one of those special things that make me feel refreshed and recharged. Because of the weather, it ended up being a fairly quiet day on the water for vessels. Surrounded with fog and dripping with rain we kept a watchful eye on a distant pod of Bigg’s killer whales as they forged the coastline of Salt Spring Island. As boats passed we checked in with them, let them know about the orca and asked them maintain a safe distance/alter course so as not to interfere with them. We stayed back much further than needed so as to give the whales as much space as possible. Blanketed with fog, soaking with rain, the majesty of seeing their stark fins break the surface and the white puffs of breath reminded me of why I love to create art about these mysterious and wonderful creatures. It was also a good reminder to slow down and rest in nature. I thought you might want to see a few photos, so I will include some here for you (taken with a telephoto lens). I hope you enjoy them too.

2026 POSTCARD CALENDAR

My most recent project has been working on a 2026 postcard calendar called ‘Whale Dreams’. I am almost ready to print, so I am taking pre-orders until Sept 15. If you would like to read more about it, please click here for images and info. If you would like to pre-order a calendar and pick it up locally in Victoria, please send me a message directly. If you want one mailed to you, please order through my online shop.

Coming Up: Apple Day At Sea Cider

I will be participating again this year at the Apple Day event at Sea Cider in Saanichton. This family friendly event is the perfect way to celebrate the beginning of fall: cozy up, wander the orchard, check out the local artisan booths and enjoy a class of cider. Sunday September 28 from 11-4.

Drawing Under the Salish Sea & Upcoming Activities/Events

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Life gets busy and its easy to forget to pay attention to what we see—especially when it comes to nature. We see things we’ve seen before and automatically catalogue an object or creature, ticking a check box in our mind. Seen it.

This is the big hurdle when it comes to drawing from life: trying to teach your brain to slow down and try to look at something with fresh eyes, like its something you’ve never seen before. If you take time to draw what you see, as you see it in front of you, you will discover so much about it! Trust me, your brain and eyes will thank you for doing this. We humans are curious creatures, so do yourself a favoure and indulge yourself in watching nature.

I was recently asked to instruct a scientific drawing workshop supported by a grant from Early Career Ocean Professionals Canada (ECOP)…..which is why I found myself with an amazing group of curious humans at the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea last Monday. This grant provided the opportunity, support and tools to offer this workshop, making it accessible and inviting to people who consider themselves early in an ocean-related career/studying ocean-related fields/interested in learning about our local marine ecosystems.

Photos from the Observational Drawing Workshop

Photo credit: Rosie Poirier & Natasha van Netten

My heart-felt thanks to Rosie Poirier , ECOP Canada, the Victoria Foundation and the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea for making this event possible.

Upcoming Events

Watercolour Animal Pop-Ups Workshop: Saturday Sept 20

This quirky and whimsical workshop is inspired by historical zoological illustrations, such as those from the Encyclopedia of Nature, where the images are created in layers that you can lift to discover the anatomy inside. We will use watercolour, collage, drawing and paper cutting during this workshop. Happening at the Vancouver Island School of Art, downtown Victoria.

For more information and to register, click here
(it’s already over half full)

Cadboro Bay Fest: Sunday August 10

Come check out the live music, community drumming, delicious food, engaging kids’ crafts, and informative interactive booths! Connect with ocean sports enthusiasts, learn about marine wildlife and discover how you can enjoy and support our oceans. 
If you know any young humans, bring them by to the craft tent! I have prepared a fun craft activity and will be facilitating it between 11am-3pm.

This is a FREE, family-friendly event 🙂 Find more info here

Ucluelet Market: Sunday August 31

At the end of August I will be participating in the Ucluelet Sunday Market. If you are in the area, come by and check it out! There will be loads of amazing vendors, live music, food and it in such a beautiful location 🙂 10am-2pm

For more info, click here.

Field Sketching & Summer Activities

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A couple weeks ago I found myself somewhere new (for me). I was on Galiano Island, instructing a field sketching workshop to a class of students. But they weren’t art students… they were a university class studying marine biology..

Ferry switch at Mayne Island (BTW this is my favourite way to commute)

If you have spent any time around me, you’ve likely heard me talking about the importance of drawing. It’s good for our mental health, increases our observation skills, develops empathy, enhances our memory and can help connect us to nature. It is also practical (not that those other points aren’t practical). Have you tried explaining something complicated to someone—like the directions to a secret beach or your plans for how you are going to build a cupboard—and you find yourself searching for the words and end up grabbing a pencil and sketching something on a scrap of paper. Drawing is important for communicating. This is where science comes in. Art and science have been closely linked for hundreds of years because there is a need to be able to communicate visually as well as through words.

So I found myself ferry hopping my way to Galiano Island. I am so grateful to have been invited to lead this workshop to a group of marine biology students. A large part of their program involves maintaining an active field journal, where they record their observations and include sketches of the organisms they observe. During our time together I shared a slide show about the connection between art and science, provided them with practical tips for observational drawing and offered support as the students spent the afternoon exploring the low tide and documenting their observations. This was such an uplifting day for me—spending time doing what I love, talking about subjects I care about and hopefully encouraging a desire in these future researchers to spend time drawing. Despite the easily accessible phone cameras in our pockets, no technology has been able to replace the quality and clarity of field sketching, which is why it is so exciting to see these students spending time to build and develop observational drawing skills.

Waiting for the ferry & doing a little field sketching myself
Active Pass
I picked up a butter clam shell on the beach to draw on the ferry

Also, not pictured here: 5-6 orcas that I saw on the ferry ride home. A perfect ending to the day! (and the students saw them the following day)

Thank you Dr Z. for inviting me to take over your class for the afternoon!

Upcoming Events

This Sunday, June 8th . . . . . . . . . . . The Cook Street Village Block Party
First up, and coming up fast, is this super fun event happening in Cook Street Village. I am thrilled to be joining an amazing group of local artists and makers. At my booth you will find my sweater whales, wire whales, prints etc. and I have 100 special humpback tail postcards that I will be GIVING AWAY! So come by to pick one up 🙂 You will also find a variety of food and bevy vendors, music performances, a magic show and the “Fastest Dog in Cook Street” races.
For more info, click here.

Tuesday, July 1st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gorge on Art at the Canada Day Gorge Picnic
This is a super fun, family orientated event full of celebration, patriotism, pancakes, strawberry cheese cake, street hockey, a community parade, vintage cars, food, music, a lot of art and more! Here is a list of the artists participating this year. And here is more info on the Canada Day Picnic event.

Saturday, July 19th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The AGGV Paint In
I am honoured to be participating in the Paint In again! Did you know, this is one of the largest art festivals of its kind in Canada? It’s true! This event features artists, activities, music, food and fun lining the length of Moss Street, from the gallery to the ocean. This beloved festival draws 50,000 visitors annually to explore art along Moss Street and brings Vancouver Island artists together in celebration of art! For more information, click here.

September TBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a workshop at the Vancouver Island School of Art
Oh! Something very fresh is cooking up for the fall. I have an exciting watercolour workshop brewing. Here are a few hints: sciency…. small creatures… whimsical… cutaways. Details will be coming out when VISA publishes their fall schedule. These workshops tend to fill up fast, so if you want me to send you an email when it goes live—let me know. I can add you to my workshop notification email list. Just send me a quick message on my Contact Form and let me know.

Sointula Art Shed Residency: Week Four

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Things are wrapping up now as we have come to the end of the fourth week. The main change is that I have stopped painting (to let it dry a little before we leave) and reorganized the studio for non-painting activities. The first thing I wanted to do, now that my little linocut orcas have had time to dry, was to cut them out. For this project my goal was to create an installation that counted the Northern Resident killer whale population. Up until this point, I have created multiple works about the Southern Resident killer whale population, which currently numbers 73 individuals. I have been wondering about the Northern Resident population and finally had the time to do some digging. Thanks to my amazing marine biologist friends and their engagement with this project—I learned that the Northern Resident population is more challenging to update because it is a larger population and it can be longer between sightings. Based on the most recent photo ID census (2023) the best population estimate is 345 individuals. The final artwork has some prints that are lighter and some that are darker, this is to reference the fact that this number could be changing without human knowledge. I also added some extra orcas as the number is based on data from a couple years ago. I am not going to tell you how many I added (I don’t even know… and that’s the point).

I have also been working on a series of gouache paintings to donate to MERS’s annual fundraiser auction. Gouache is similar to watercolour, but has an opaque and velvety finish. I have been spending a lot of time thinking about whales as individuals and I wanted to make something that focused on this. I am grateful for access to the MERS Humpback ID Catalogue, which was such a helpful resource for this project, and assistance by MERS staff in choosing which individuals to paint (three of the ‘regulars’ that are often seen along the north island: one with a mainly white tail, one with a mainly black tail and one with a tail that is a mix).

First layer of gouache
Adding more layers
Close-up of details

Click here to view these paintings on the MERS auction website. You can also visit the main auction page and view all the items (including two more of my donations). And here is a page with information about MERS and what the funds are used for, how the auction works and bidding tips. The auction will be live from April 10-13.

BCY0729, AKA “Argonaut”
BCZ0339, AKA “Inukshuk”
BCX1566, AKA “Stitch”

It was also time to change the installation in the front window of the art shed. I left the most complicated installation for last. It took about two hours to install “Feeding Giants”, an installation I created for the Yukon Art Centre in 2021. Other than prepping this artwork in my kitchen, this is the first time I have installed it. I am so glad I had left detailed notes/diagrams in the box for the gallery, as they proved very helpful! This installation depicts humpback whales participating in a cooperative feeding strategy called ‘bubble net feeding’. The artwork shows the various states simultaneously, focusing on the visual pattern and activity that happens hidden below the surface of the water. I learned a lot while I was researching and working on this project. For example, did you know that when the whales swim around the fish and make their bubble net, they always swim in clockwise rotations?

On Saturday I hosted an Open Studio inside the art shed. It was such a lovely opportunity to visit with people, show them what I have been up to and share whale tales. I full of gratitude to this warm community for being so welcoming and taking time to come look at my art. It was a good way to start wrapping up for my time here at the Sointula Art Shed and processing the past month. It was also a good excuse for me to tidy up the space and take a little time to step back, look at the work and consider which direction I might want to continue to work on at home.

Matt arrived on Wednesday—which was the best part of this week! It has been wonderful to have this time together at the end of the residency and we have enjoyed kayaking between studio sessions. I am so grateful for this time to relax my mind and spend time in nature.

We saw this rainbow-puff-cloud appear and disappear the other evening as we walked along Bere Point.

Thank you so much to Kerri, Tyler & Teddy for the opportunity to do this residency and for your warmth, kindness and wonderful conversations. It has been such a joy to get to spend this time focusing on art, looking for whales and exploring this magical part of the world ♡ 

Sointula Art Shed Residency: Week Two

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Today closes week two of my residency here on Malcolm Island at the Sointula Art Shed and officially marks the halfway point of my time here. This week I have been able to get some solid studio time and I’m starting to feel like I’m gaining momentum on my residency projects. The weather has been gloriously unsettled, swinging from golden sunshine, to melting-grey clouds, pouring rain and even hail. It must be spring! Even though I have only been here two weeks, there is already a visible difference in the plants. Leaves are budding and little flowers are popping up everywhere!

Me taking advantage of a studio where I can pin things to the all and leave projects on go

I started the week by working on a project about counting the Northern Resident killer whales (as seen in the image above, hanging from the horizontal lines). I am representing each member in this pod by making a linocut orca print… this work is still in progress and I am now in the problem-solving stage trying to figure out how I want it to all come together.

Someone recently gave me some mylar charts and before I left for the residency I dry mounted pieces of it to shaped matboard offcuts. This combination has turned out to be quite an inspiring surface for oil painting. I am working on a series of small paintings based on my experiences of seeing whales exhale and the way light often catches their blows. The surface of mylar is velvety and smooth—lending itself perfectly for the removal of paint. So, in away, these are anti-paintings because the subject matter is represented by a physical absence.

Yesterday I hopped on a ferry to Port McNeill and instructed a workshop inside the office of the Marine Education & Research Society (MERS). I wanted to do this workshop as a way to connect with the community and also to help support the important conservation work MERS. Three lovely researches were there to help set up for the event and offer whale knowledge during the workshop. The main theme of the workshop was to not make perfect drawings but rather I wanted people to think about the individuality and quirkiness of whales. And yes, apparently there are whales out there with some pretty hilarious underbites—point made! We began by making blind contour drawings of whales, finished it by using pieces of cedar as drawing instruments, and did a bunch of projects in the middle. My heartfelt thanks to MERS for being such welcoming hosts and to each of the 11 participants that made this afternoon special.

Before installing
WHALEFALL during the day
WHALEFALL during the night

And this brings us up to today! This morning I installed my first of a series of three artworks that I will be displaying inside the Window Gallery that is adjacent to the studio. This is now the fourth time that I have exhibited WHALEFALL, and every time it looks different because it is comprised of a collection of individual orca sculptures that need to be assembled and disassembled. Depending on the size of the plinth, the shape of the artwork changes, but also the amount of orcas is slowly growing. I had to add four orca since I last showed it in June of last year. This installation shows all of the Southern Resident killer whales that have passed away since we started counting and naming them in the 1970’s. There are now 147 orcas. I don’t know if this link will work, but I made a video showing the setup with me talking about this installation (probably the most high tech thing I’ve ever done): WHALEFALL video. You may have to unmute it by clicking the symbol at the bottom.

This is a view from the beach that only takes 2 minutes to walk to from my studio

Okay, I think I will leave it there for now. Thank you so much for reading along.

Watercolour Fall Leaves

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Fall is my favourite season. Especially this part of fall. The time when leaves are equally on and off the trees. Earlier this year when I was brainstorming workshop ideas, I kept finding myself dreaming of fall.

Last Saturday I had the pleasure of instructing my newest workshop: Watercolour Fall Leaves. I tried to pick a Saturday when I thought there would be lots of peaking fall leaves, and I could not have been happier with the timing! When it comes to nature, it is always a bit of a guessing game. This past week the leaves have been just bursting with colour and basically begging me to take them to class.

It was so much fun collecting leaves for this workshop!

If you haven’t been to the Vancouver Island School of Art (VISA), I recommend checking it out. They often have art openings or art lectures happening and the Executive Director, Wendy Welch, writes fantastic articles in the VISA newsletter. The classroom is big enough for each student to have a table to themselves, so you can spread out and get comfortable. Here is a pre-workshop photo. I love the anticipation! Having everything laid out and waiting for the participants to arrive.

Sometimes it’s hard to know what to paint or draw on demand, but I firmly believe that if you walk around the block or go to a park or the ocean… you can be flooded with creative inspiration if you let yourself! Fall leaves are a perfect example of this.

If you look through a collection of leaves and study them carefully, you will find that they are not perfect. They are often gimpy, missing bits, have holes and tears, and not as symmetrical as you had previously thought. They are full of character! This is what makes them the perfect subject matter to draw or paint.

We covered a lot of ground in this three-hour workshop. The participants created a series of six, 5″x7″ watercolours of leaves. The projects included utilizing positive and negative space, observational painting, creating patterns, simplified shapes and also using design methods, like a circle, to create a pleasing composition. We also discussed the importance of neutralizing colours to achieve natural fall-like colours. Below are some photos from the workshop.

Thank you to all the participants for coming to this workshop and making it such an enjoyable afternoon!

To avoid being put on a wait list, I have created a Workshop Notification List! If you join this list, I will send you an email as soon as registration is live so that you have as much time as possible to register. My next workshop will be early next year (and if you like ink and jellyfish… you are going to like this class). If you want to join the list, please send me an email (tasha_van_netten@hotmail.com) or send me a message through my contact form here.

Up Coming Events

HOLIDAY MARKETS!

I am getting ready for holiday markets—starting this coming weekend!

I’ll be bringing calendars, greeting cards, stickers, wire whales, bookmarks and more.

For a full list of the different markets that I will be at and a little information about each one, please check out my MARKETS page by clicking here.

EXHIBITIONS!

In-Sights exhibition at arc.hive

I will be exhibiting some work at the In-Sights show at arc.hive artist run centre as part of their yearly members exhibition (of which I have the pleasure of being a part of as a board member). This exhibition is about studio practice and giving an “insight” behind the scenes. I have created four, small botanical paintings for this show (the above image is a sneak peek of one of them).

The opening reception is this Friday (November 1) from 7-9pm. Gallery hours are 12-4pm Saturdays and Sundays for the next three weeks. I will be volunteering at the gallery this Sunday from 12-4pm. For more information, click here.

Winter Small Works Show at the AGGV

The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria’s annual Winter Small Works Show & Sale is opening November 14th. This is show celebrates artists local to Victoria and Vancouver Island and shows a wide range of small works. I am pleased to be showing Transient Shadows as part of this exhibition (see image above).

Opening Reception is Thursday, November 14, from 5-8pm, with artists in attendance. Stop by for a glass of wine, browse a dynamic range of artworks at accessible price points, and help the AGGV kickstart the winter season of celebrating local artists.

Show & Sale runs until January 25, 2025. Admission to the Massey Sales Gallery is always free.

For more information, click here.

Imaginative Nature Drawing Workshop

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I had the great pleasure of instructing a drawing workshop at Shawnigan Lake School last week as part of the MISSA 2024 programing. This two-day workshop was called Imaginative Nature Drawing and involved drawing with graphite, ink and watercolour.

I enjoyed preparing the projects, slide shows and content for this weekend and was reminded again of just how important imagination is. It helps us handle stress, achieve goals, maintain a positive outlook, grow our problem solving skills, strengthen our brains and even can help us live longer. Imagination is considered a skill, which means we can strength and build it through practice.

One way to activate our imagination is through creating combinations. During one of the workshop projects, the participants drew plants outside… but with a twist. They were to draw a variety of botanical species plein air (drawing outside) as though each plant were a twig sprouting from the same branch. The resulting drawings were whimsical yet also felt reminiscent of historical botanical illustrations. I love how each drawing turned out so unique!

Another way to help boost our imagination is to find a fresh perspective. Such as, in this workshop, creating “botaniquariums”. Observational drawing allows us to immerse ourselves in the natural world and make discoveries. “Oh! I didn’t realize that _____”. “I’ve never noticed that ____ had ____ before.” It is amazing what you will see when you pay attention by looking. There are endless drawing possibilities within each microcosm the participants created.

It was a full weekend of focus, creativity and community. For lunch we meet at the dining hall to eat together, which was catered by Shawnigan Lake School. This was an good halfway break in the day as it offered the opportunity to connect with other MISSA people, share about the projects we have been working on and recharge for the afternoon. At the end of the day many of us walked to the lake (which was just across the street) and cooled down with a well deserved dip. I have always been a summer camp person, and this type of an art retreat, where you have the opportunity to sleep over, eat together and enjoy the grounds, very much suites me. I am already looking forward to next year!

Plein air drawing by the pond at Shawnigan Lake School

Before I end this post, I also wanted to share the final project from our weekend: microramas. This project used imagination to problem solve as the participants created shadow boxes that incorporated three mystery words in some way or form. I would also like to say a big thank you to my friend Shirley for giving me with her mint tin collection. It was a fun way to end the workshop! 🙂

New Public Installation & a Peek into my Process

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My newest installation work, Depth Sounding, is now on public display at the Cedar Hill Recreation Centre (3220 Cedar Hill Road, Victoria, BC). It will be in this location until April 28th during open hours: weekends 8am-9pm, weekdays 6:30am-10pm. This installation is located in the hallway just past the reception desk and across from the art gallery space. For more images and to read the artist statement for Depth Sounding, click here.

A peek inside my installing process

Installing at the Ministry of Casual Living Window Gallery (2020)

Incase you might be curious, I thought I would take a moment to share a little about the behind the scenes of art installation. First, I want you know how much I enjoy installation art. I love the challenges that come from working within specific spaces and it is really interesting to see how art can take on new layers of meaning from the surrounding environment.

Over the years, I have come to realize that every installation project is its own adventure and, while I have learned a few tips and tricks along the way, when it comes to preparing to installations… very often you just can’t know what to expect. For this reason I always make sure to have extra supplies and tools with me just in case. The Boy Scouts are on to something good, “Be prepared.”

Often installations require spending time in awkward positions, squeezing into tight spaces, standing on ladders or laying on the floor. You really can’t worry what people passing by might think. A sense of humour helps make this part easier! Earlier this week, as I was installing Depth Sounding, I surprised a few people who were walking down the hall way, peering inside the inset cube spaces when all of a sudden… BAM! There was my face inside a cube! All you can do is smile and carry on. 🙂

Pre-numbered artworks organized and ready for installation
Distribution of artworks in cubes before installing

For this particular installation I had a fairly short window of time to install. This is where being organized really pays off in helping reduce stress and pressure. While I always do my best to have a clear plan, it is also important to be ready to adapt.

Below is an image of the map I drew so I would know which whales go in each cube (you can see it folded and taped to the shelving in the photo above). The numbers in the corners corresponded to paper bags that contained the whales for that space. I had to reverse the order of the cubes because this space is accessed from behind, not in front. It took a couple tries before I figured out how to do the map, but it was really worth the extra effort.

Reversed Installation Map

Installation Complete

Also at the Cedar Hill Recreation Centre

The current exhibition in the art gallery space, The Art of Mental Wellness: Unveiling the Wisdom of Wonderland, by Amy Frank is also free and open to the public. It focuses on mental wellness and documents Amy’s journey and struggles. Please be advised, it deals with some heavy subject matter and is rated PG-13.

The Second Chance Café is operated by survivors of brain injury in partnership with the Cridge Centre for the Family. Serving homemade baked goods, sandwiches, coffee and tea. Open Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 3pm.