Annette Kraft van Ermel – Artist

Annette Kraft van Ermel is an award-winning Canadian artist from Waterloo, Ontario.

Annette Kraft van Ermel


Annette Kraft van Ermel grew up on a tree nursery near Belle River, a small town in south-western Ontario. In 1987, she moved to Toronto to pursue formal studies in art and in 1992 she completed her BFA at York University. The paintings of Annette Kraft van Ermel are a quiet celebration of beauty in the small details of life – the familiar and the commonly unnoticed. Emerging through layers of oil, wax and charcoal, subjects are obscured yet still hold structure resulting in a very compelling dynamic tension. Annette’s mission is to hold onto small moments of grace against the erosive passage of time.

Annette is well known for her ‘bee’ paintings – honey bees, bumble bees and wasps. These pollinating insects have an allure about them and a global relevance that inspires her. Visually striking with yellow and black attire, bees have a sophisticated way of flying and an incredible determination. Despite all of their odds (pollutants, chemicals, disease and climate change), a bee always seems to carry on with incredible momentum. Recently, Annette has been painting Monarch butterflies; sadly their populations have been on an alarming decline as well.

Annette’s work has appeared in Décor television programs and magazines such as HGTV and Style at Home, book covers such as Steven Ehrlick’s novel ‘The Channel’, in theatre productions, and music videos such as David Bowie’s ‘Dead Man Walking.’ Annette has also painted creatively for television productions such as CBC’s ‘The Rick Mercer Report’, ‘The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos’ and NBC’s popular game show ‘Deal No Deal’ with Howie Mandel. In 2015, Annette won the Silver Award for the Centre for International Governance Innovation’s Art Competition.

Annette’s art appears in private collections in New York City, England, the Netherlands, Australia and across Canada. Annette currently lives and paints in Waterloo, Ontario.

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