MEET THE MAKERS: Growing up on a farm inspires NS woman's paintings

For Chantel Van de Vrie, creating something that felt unique to her was really important.

It’s something, she says, that comes naturally to her and brings her a sense of fulfillment.

“I think that when you build something that is truly reflective of who you are, it always has room to evolve with you. You don’t get tired of it because it continues to feel like you. There are no restrictions. It’s really liberating,” says Van de Vrie.

Van de Vrie finds this outlet through her art.

The Shubenacadie East, N.S., woman is a self-taught painter who has always loved drawing and creating. About two years ago, though, she really began focusing on painting when she started painting landscapes.

She began painting during a period of significant change in her life. At the time, creating became a way to bring some clarity into her life and give herself space to focus on personal growth, she explains.

For her art, Van de Vrie primarily works with acrylic and oil paints on canvas and board and occasionally experiments with pastels and oil sticks.

She also makes a lot of the frames that her work comes in, as she says it really completes the work.

As for the subject matter she paints, it is inspired by the landscapes that shaped her childhood. Van de Vrie grew up on a dairy farm in Stewiacke, N.S., and says she is drawn to tidal rivers, quiet forests and farmland that has been cared for by generations before her.

It took growing older to really appreciate it, however. Growing up on a farm, and now living in a rural community, gives Van de Vrie an endless source of inspiration — that sense of place is a really important part of her work, she says.

“There is a strong sense of nostalgia in my work, but I’m less interested in recreating a specific place exactly as it exists, and more interested in capturing how a place feels,” says Van de Vrie.

For inspiration, Van de Vrie says she always carries her phone with her when walking through the forest, marsh, or countryside.

She constantly takes photos and notices little changes in the landscape. This means she can have 15 photos of the same spot, yet they all look and feel so different.

She usually lets those moments sit with her rather than deciding exactly what she is going to paint ahead of time.

For her, it’s more important to capture a feeling or atmosphere than simply reproducing a photograph.

Van de Vrie says she didn’t start painting with the intention of building a business or making money. She was simply creating because I enjoyed it.

Then, she sold her first piece a year ago.

In the beginning, Van de Vrie says she was really hesitant to share her work, having a lot of self-doubt. It also felt really personal to share the work, she says.

Even now, she feels honoured each time someone wants to buy one of her pieces.

Since then, Van de Vrie’s art has naturally grown into a business — although she doesn’t refer to it as a business — through word of mouth and social media.

Her art is created under the name CVDV, which she says is an extension of her name, who she is, what she loves, and a way of creating a recognizable identity around her work without taking away from the paintings themselves.

Creating a brand and identity is also definitely in Van de Vrie’s wheelhouse. Her background is in marketing and public relations, so she has enjoyed creating the entire world around her work, from the look and feel of her art, naming each piece, to the website and her social media, marketing materials, and photography direction.

“I love creating a concept from beginning to end, telling a story and creating an experience,” she says.

This love started for Van de Vrie at a young age. She says she has always been drawn to aesthetically pleasing things, creating beautiful and unique spaces and finding beauty in everyday objects and in nature. She also loves design, interiors, theatre, dance, and the arts.

This led her to study business administration and marketing at the Nova Scotia Community College, completing a formative work term in the communications department at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. This experience sparked a deep interest in communications and ultimately led her to return to NSCC to study public relations.

“I think painting became a very natural next step for me because it brings together so many of the things I’ve always loved: colour, composition, atmosphere, design, and storytelling,” she says.

When she is painting, Van de Vrie constantly experiments with different styles, techniques, and materials. She is inspired by many artists, not just painters, as well as the natural world around her.

Van de Vrie also loves watching artists share their processes and techniques, noting how there is something really captivating and inspiring about seeing how another artist approaches their work.

For her, when she is creating a new piece, she will move it from her studio into a part of her home where she can let it live and study it. When it becomes part of the space, she knows it’s done.

“If I don’t want it in my space, it’s not ready for someone else. I have to create something that I love, and I know I’ll miss it for it to be done and ready to move on. It’s a bit of a push and pull feeling — to create something you like so much that you want to keep it, but you also want it to move on,” she explains.

Recently, Van de Vrie took her work to the wider public. She completed her first solo art show, Giggly Pink Skies, at Reformed Pilates Studio in Truro, where she also teaches. They transformed the Pilates studio into an art gallery for the one night.

For Van de Vrie, she says it was a birthday gift and bucket list item she wanted to do — just to put her name out there, have people see her work in person, and create an experience around the collection.

She was completely overwhelmed by the turnout and support. By the end of the two-hour opening, more than 50 per cent of the paintings had sold, she says, noting how validating the experience was.

The feedback she gets about her work means the most to her. When she hears that her work gives someone a sense of joy or nostalgia, it means that she has accomplished her job — that the work is communicating exactly what she was feeling as she created it.

Van de Vrie really does believe in the power of community. Living in a smaller area creates a strong sense of connection and support, so she is so grateful for the people who have supported her work so far, especially the women in her life.

In the future, Van de Vrie says she would like to continue painting, creating, and allowing the work to evolve. She is interested in exploring new ideas, concepts, and mediums while still maintaining the sense of place and feeling that has become central to her work.

She would also love the opportunity to be represented by an established gallery and explore collaborations with other artists, businesses, and creative people.

“I’m still relatively new to this, so I’m excited about not knowing exactly where it will take me. Opportunities are endless,” she says.

When not painting, Van de Vrie works independently as a freelancer, helping small businesses with their marketing and creative needs. She also teaches group fitness, spin, and Pilates.

In a way, she says all of these things connect as she has always been drawn to creativity, movement, design, and community, so she enjoys having different outlets for those interests.

Anyone interested in viewing or making a purchase from Van de Vrie at CVDV art can find her on her website, chantelvandevrie.com. She also shares new work, behind-the-scenes content, and her creative process on Instagram at @chantelvandevrieart.