Inspired by her travels, Vera Kisseleva uses Canadian landscape as both a backdrop and inspiration trying to express something that catches her eye at a specific point in time. She spends lots of time outdoors hiking, cycling, and kayaking to experience and capture dramatic moments that happen constantly in nature. Even though Canadian landscape she paints can be utterly familiar to many, every place she visits is absolutely unique and different based on the time of the day, weather, and the season. Vera works in oils and acrylics and uses bold, vibrant colors in her work and thick brush strokes. Most of her pieces are done in her studio from a photograph and a memory of her recent nature encounters. This year Vera is planning to do more plein air pencil and watercolor sketches outdoors. These on-location studies then will be used to develop large studio works. Vera is influenced by Impressionism and it is seen in her works though the way she captures her emotional response to the natural environment. “It’s this personal impact—between what I see and how I feel—that’s really at the core of my work.” Other artistic inspirations include the group of seven, especially works of Tom Thomson, but she is trying to refresh the classic genre and make her own mark on Canadian contemporary art. Rich, diverse, and mesmerizing, Vera’s paintings can instantly enliven the most mundane of spaces in your home.