Biography

Anne DeJong works with palette knives to create vibrant, textured landscapes inspired by the Canadian Rockies. Though an education in visual communications led her into a career in graphic design and the printing industry, her heart has always been with oil paint. In 2019, Anne dedicated full time effort to her creative work, striving to learn by doing, as encouraged throughout her youth by her late grandfather, a landscape painter who immigrated to Canada from Holland.

The majority of Anne’s art takes inspiration from the Rocky Mountains. She uses her personal connection to the landscape to ground her paintings, actively seeking out opportunities to explore natural settings and experience wild and remote places. Alongside her daughters, she spends time each year hiking, sketching and photographing the terrain that provide the inspiration for her work. Her paintings are a commitment to share not only landscapes she has personally experienced, but also those that are dear to her viewers. Her hope is to bring a feeling of peace and awe for the vastness of the wilderness with the richness and texture of oil paint and palette knife.

Her art fills the void between experience and memory, offering a tangible connection to the places and moments that fill us with peace and wonder. In a world that moves too quickly, Anne’s work serves to remind us of the beauty that exists in created landscapes and the memories we cherish from our encounters with the natural world. While the mountains themselves are not always the main focus, the experience of time spent in the mountains is behind every painting.

Anne’s work is included in private collections in Canada, US, UK, Australia and the Netherlands and corporate collections within Alberta.

Anne resides near Spruce Grove, Alberta with her husband Rich and their four daughters.