Watercolour, Coloured Pencil, and Ink
Andrea has been making art as long as she has been able to hold a pencil. As a child her Christmas and birthday lists were filled to the brim with coveted art supplies and things haven’t really changed that much. She graduated from the Windsor Centre for Creative Arts (a specialized high school arts program) then went on to study English Literature at the University of Windsor, finally completing a Masters in Literature at UBC. Visual art took a bit of a back seat to literary pursuits, but in the past few years her young children prompted her to pick up a paintbrush again. Having kids with free and easy enthusiasm for painting and drawing has been endlessly inspiring and Andrea now devotes herself to making art every day (usually in the short time that her daughter naps!).
Andrea is inspired by the natural world, botanical art, and the meditative act of truly seeing the world around her by drawing or painting it. She works in a large variety of mediums, but has a special love for watercolour, coloured pencil, and ink. She sees art as a fundamental part of her self care and mental health practice and is always keen to share her love of the arts with others. She runs a community crafting meet up in Richmond, has worked as a needle felting instructor for the Richmond Children’s Arts festival and has taught a variety of classes for the Minoru Seniors Center. She is a devoted advocate for postpartum mental health issues, having suffered from a debilitating postpartum depression after her first child was born, and this year, in association with the Pacific Post Partum Support Society, she has developed a course specifically for new mothers called The Art of Self Care which uses art focused activities to help new moms work through difficult postpartum adjustments. While the medium has changed from literary criticism, to fiber arts, to photography, to painting and drawing, artistic practice remains a constant companion. For Andrea, art is what keeps her grounded, keeps her connected, and keeps her curious.
You can find Andrea on Instagram @ovenbirdstudio
She also blogs at www.ovenbirdsings.com
