What is the driving force behind my work?

Once I thought it was a simple answer; the beauty of nature, of course. But nature has many layered qualities and nothing is quite clear-cut when you start walking her path.

Watercolour and ink were my chosen media for many years, and still are, my main tools for capturing nature outdoors. Painting and sketching outside is a fundamental component in my work as I find that a direct contact with nature makes me entirely present and aware in a manner rarely achievable indoors with a photograph. It becomes a hallowed meditation with nature, when one sits with pen in hand.

But with Vancouver being such a rainy city, more days are often spent indoors than out and intrigued by the texture and glow of oils, this media became my mainstay in expressing my passion for nature in the studio. I carry across my watercolour style in the oil medium, as I love the loose layering and lost and found edges that hide and reveal, suggesting without directing, the viewer.

A shift in my painting style occurred when I found that I was no longer trying to show the main subject but the element in which that subject was held. The wind became more important than the reeds, the water became more important than the lily-pad. Becoming more keenly aware of the four elements in nature allowed for a common thread and unity in my work and at the same time, deepened my direct connection to the Earth.

I would like to be known for sharing the beauty of nature with others through my artwork. As I am inspired and driven by nature, I would, in turn, like to motivate and inspire others to see the natural world with new eyes; eyes that see that everything is connected on this beautiful planet.

Contact Me

I love getting email so if you have questions or comments regarding my artwork, please contact me at:

vanimpe.h(at)gmail.com

You can catch me on Twitter  http://twitter.com/heidivanimpe 

Or if you are on Salt Spring Island, come by for a cup of tea!