Sointula Art Shed Residency: Week Four

March 31, 2025 / natashavannetten

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).

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.

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

March 17, 2025March 17, 2025 / natashavannetten

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.

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

October 29, 2024 / natashavannetten / Leave a comment

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

July 26, 2024 / natashavannetten / 3 Comments

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! 🙂