Serena West, fine art

The rugged landscapes featuring windswept pines, pristine lakes, thick forests, and abundant wildlife that surround my home serve as the primary inspiration for my paintings. The beauty of the Canadian landscape always finds its way into my artwork and each painting or drawing holds a memory of time spent in the majestic outdoors.

After studying at the Dundas Valley School of Art in conjunction with McMaster University, I began my career as a mural artist. I eventually turned my focus to landscape paintings featuring the beauty of nature. If you are interested in reading more about my artistic journey you can follow my art blog where I speak more about my portrait paintings to my current landscape work.

Whenever I can I like to join local art groups or shows and have had the joy of having my own solo show as well as collaborating with other local artists in group shows at The Chapel Gallery in Bracebridge, Ontario. I also have had the honour of joining the popular online Square Foot Show, as well as sitting on the board for the Muskoka Arts and Crafts community. If you are interested in seeing my art in person, come to the Annex in downtown Bracebridge, Ontario which hosts an Artist Collective of over 20 members. Once in a while, you will also find me teaching acrylic or drawing workshops with Let The Cat Go Art Studio also located inside the Annex.

Since nature is my happy place, I spend as much time outside as I can, which helps me find inner calm. When I paint, I try to capture these peaceful feelings and portray them in my art. My style of painting is often described as serene, yet I also love to play with bold and vibrant colors, and I would say I use a mix of realism and impressionism in my work. I paint both on wood canvas and gallery depth canvas in varying sizes, from very tiny 4×4” paintings to larger 36×48” paintings. I enjoy using different mediums like oils and watercolours, but am currently focusing on acrylics on canvas. The subjects that I most like to paint include trees, birds, pets, and beautiful scenes of lakes and forests.

Custom paintings are another offering that I have in my studio and include oil portrait paintings, pet portraits, custom sketches, and custom landscape paintings. It is truly a joy to create a unique piece of art for clients who are looking for a portrait of their favourite person, pet, or place. The most popular by far are custom pet portraits, which are so fun to create!

For those who like to change their decor more often or are looking for more affordable wall art, I also have fine art prints and greeting cards. I will soon be expanding to other print products like calendars, featuring the towns of Muskoka, Muskoka Lakes, and local waterfalls.

My desire is that each piece I create reminds people of their fondest memories spent outdoors and allows them to bring a piece of the wild places home.