Hilda Van Netten
Canadian Watercolour and Chalk Pastel Artist
Watercolours
In 2002, we sold our farm. I always knew I could draw, but didn't know if painting would work for me. My husband had given me a small travel set of Cotman watercolour paints and I figured out how to use them. But, what would I paint? As you scroll down this page, you will see the changes in my painting's subject matter, style and reason for painting since then.
Near our home are two beautiful historic towns, Cobourg and Port Hope, ON, in Canada. Initially, I just walked the streets with my camera and came up with some images to try out. Below are the results of those first attempts at painting with watercolours.
I love hiking. Wherever I hike, I take pictures..... in our local Northumberland Forest, in the Gaspé, Quebec, and fortunately in the Yukon. By 2008 and 2009, I started to paint in a more realistic style. Below are some of the paintings done then.
In 2013 and 2014, I ventured into painting portraits. I sort of fell into it when I saw a some photos taken by friends in our community. When a photo calls out to you from a Facebook posting, you know you've got to give it a try. I got permission from the photographers and took a stab at it. Portraits are a unique challenge. If you draw a branch of a tree in a different spot, no one will notice. Not the same for a nose or an eye!
Since 2016, I have been having fun doing super realistic paintings in a series loosely titled, "Stuff in Containers on the Grass". I really need to find a better title for this series. I love the concept of documenting the ordinary things of my daily life. And, crazy as it seems, I love the challenge of painting grass. Interspersed with the containers, I also succumbed to taking on the self imposed challenge of painting buttons in a box. I was humbled to win first prize at our local juried art show with that one. I also painted the beautiful sphagnum mosses we saw while hiking in La Grande Tourbiere de Villeroy in Quebec. It's amazing what you see when you just look down at your feet.