Since my last update, it’s been a season of change and fresh perspectives.
In the fall my husband and I had the opportunity to celebrate our anniversary by going to Azerbaijan and Georgia. This was our first time outside of Canada since attending the NES Iceland Art Residency in early 2020. These countries are not only beautiful in landscape but have such beautiful people as well. It is so inspiring to see art from different parts of the world, and to see the connections and similar themes that are woven throughout art history. I love how history and art can’t be separated. They always come back together and intertwine. It’s interesting to think that artists today are also contributing to documenting and commenting on our current times, which quickly become history.
We came home to the busy holiday market season and I also lead a watercolour workshop. It was funded by a Neighbourhood Small Grant for my local community. This workshop was so fulfilling and I loved seeing people come together and build relationships while exploring painting leaves and flowers. The paintings created were wonderful and the company was great!
In the spring I instructed a workshop in partnership with the Tofino Arts Council, Pacific Rim Arts Society and the Ucluelet Aquarium. It was a dream-come-true workshop for me! I loved working with these amazing non-profits, bringing art, science and community together. The aquarium even delivered a touch tank of live specimens for us to draw before we made our way over to the aquarium for the final part of the workshop.
Having the opportunity to be in Ucluelet was a blessing. It’s been a full season with lots going on and I was happy to have a little time by the sea. After the workshop we went to the beach to explore and I was able to do some sketching as well (I drew a limpet, one of my favourite animals). It was still stormy-ocean-season (my favourite season) and there were many treasures to find. The first couple photos above show a small amount of the probably millions of velella velellas that were washed up on the beach. These creatures are also called by-the-wind-sailors (which is equally as good a name). They are not jellyfish, but they are jellyfish-like and they are also planktonic, meaning they rely on the ocean to move them around. They are shaped to have a sail that rises just above the waves, which catch the wind and help them travel great distances. They must have gotten stranded on the beach during a storm. They fade from bright blue to clear as they dry.
The second treasure I found was a mermaid’s purse (also known as a skate egg casing)! Inside this rather science-fictional-looking object would have once housed the embryos of a skate. I have wanted to see one of these for years and was very excited to find it. The baby skates had already hatched and just the casing was left behind. It probably washed up in one of these winter storms.
Amidst all this activity we also found ourselves moving into a unit that will allow me to have a dedicated studio space. I am still settling into the space but here is a picture of the first wire orca to be created here 🙂 Having a fresh space to create in is already filling my mind with ideas of what I want to work on next. I find it interesting to see how environment plays a role in the type of work one creates and I am looking forward to seeing what ends up coming out of this space.
Upcoming Markets & Events
You will find me at the following events around Victoria (and beyond). For more details, check out my events page.
Vic West Fest June 6th, 12pm-6pm
Community-Lead FernFEST June 13, 12pm-7pm
Gorge on Art July 1st, 9am-4pm
Art Gallery Paint-In July 18, 11am-4pm
Ucluelet Market August 1st, 10am-2pm
Upcoming Workshops
I have two workshops coming up and both are almost full (just 1 spot left in each).
Decadent Diagrams Collage and Drawing Workshop (Afternoon of May 31)
In just over a week I will be instructing Decadent Diagrams. This workshop focuses on finding creative ways to use diagrams from old textbooks to create something new and quiet extraordinary. Together, we will be “dissecting” a beautiful, 1960’s copy of ‘Invertebrate Zoology’ and using the informational figures to create extravagant collages and coloured ink drawings.
For more information and to register, click here.
Imaginative Nature Drawing (Full weekend: July 25 & 26)
Due to popular demand, I am bringing this workshop pack to MISSA! But this time, we will be located at Pearson College in Metchosin. This is a retreat-style workshop, so lunch comes with your registration and you also have the option to sleep over and stay for breakfast and dinner. Themes in this workshop include pseudo-scientific drawing, observational drawing, and using nature as a starting point for your creativity to flourish.
For more information and to register, click here.
Upcoming Art Installation
If you happen to be heading to the Saanich Municipal Hall in June/July, take a peek in the Window Gallery by the entrance. I will be installing Soundwaves, an installation I created for my Orcaphilia exhibition a few years ago. This installation will contain double the amount of salmon and can be viewed from all four sides. I still have a little work to go on figuring out how to hang large sheets of black and white paper from the centre of the display and I am excited to see it all come together!
Natasha van Netten 