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Life in a mountain town like Revelstoke is inspiring for so many artists, especially with the glacier mountains towering all around us. However Vanessa St-Yves takes her inspiration from a different source of nature, choosing to focus her gaze on specific, close up details of the animals that dwell in our temporal rainforest. Vanessa portrays a more abstract and emotive art style which gives her pieces a rich sense of depth and character. The beauty of these wild animals with the cool calmness from her misty tree views on the Columbia River invite the viewer in to a little piece of our local forests.
‘When I first arrived in BC, I fell in love with the unique landscape. My artwork is a reflection of my everyday life in the mountains. Out in the wilderness, I can admire the most random detail – the shape of a simple rock, the color of a wildflower, the pattern of tree bark. Back in my studio, I use the colors, lights, shapes, and contrasts that I remember from adventures.
There is an abstract side to my animal paintings but I always spend a lot of time on the eyes to show their emotions. I often hear that my animals are trying to talk when you look in their eyes. I am inspired by my surroundings and I wish to share these feelings. I hope people may be reminded of their own experience of nature and wildlife as they discover my art.
This is the first part of a long series. I want to show the beauty and uniqueness of our rainforest through my paintings. Of course I enjoy a blue bird sky but my favorite is when the mist rolls in through the trees in the mountains and the forest becomes foggy. I feel lucky to wake up everyday in a beautiful place like Revelstoke and I want to share that to the world.’
- Vanessa St-Yves
