About Susan VanRooy
Susan is outstanding in her own abilities to enjoy the beauty of nature surrounding her wherever she goes. She has helped us to create our original design (yes, that lovely bird standing up for water flowing under!) plus many more including brochures, posters, business cards. She also one of the reasons we go ahead with this business idea since she believes in the project!
"I live and work at the north end of Kootenay Lake, grateful for the rich and raw beauty of my natural surroundings. My preferred mediums are water colour, pen and ink, and sometimes pencil; my studio is most often out-of- doors; and my subject matter is anything that interests me during adventures in nature.
Over the past 25 years I have developed a strong passion for something I call “Nature Journaling”. I love its simplicity, immediacy, and constant companionship. All that’s needed is a hard-backed, blank-paged book and a few writing, drawing and painting tools. I have taken to creating my own journals so that I have the weight and quality of paper I prefer, and my
tiny water colour kit is easy to pack along. The journal brings me into direct and instant involvement with nature—observing, learning, appreciating and responding creatively—to a myriad of seasonal nuances. Having a journal ready to open and create in is much like having a good friend and mentor along on a walk, always encouraging, gently teaching, and able to listen.
I also love to share my passion for nature journaling with others and have taught workshops in this inspiring art form since 1992. I think that learning to draw depends on how well you learn to see. I can’t teach a person to draw, but I can share some keen observation skills to help you see more, which, with practice will lead to more true-to-life expressions of what you are observing."
Susan has her own business selling greeting cards, a Nature Observations Calendar, and the West Kootenay Journal day planners (2 nd edition
now available).