Hanneke Koonstra came to Canada as a young girl from the Netherlands. Art has always been an important part of her life. As an elementary school teacher for more than 20 years, she instilled an appreciation for the arts in her students and encouraged them to develop their own talents. Recently, Hanneke has focussed on water-colours and fluid acrylics, showing her work mainly in Toronto and Durham Region. She rarely leaves home without her camera, whether travelling locally or abroad, to capture a moment of inspiration to be used in future paintings. Her floral paintings are frequently of flowers cut from her garden on her rural property on the Oak Ridges Moraine, where she lives with her husband and three daughters, two dogs, three horses, several chickens, and an abundance of wild birds and animals.

A PineRidge Arts Council member, she has always been interested in art and has been interested in watercolour for the past three years.

A medical leave gave her the chance to put time and effort toward her talent, something she'd always wanted to do.  "Art is something you have to do frequently. It's something you get into a mindset, not over summer vacation," says Koonstra. "(I wanted to) pursue it further and my medical leave was a good chance to try it."

Koonstra never goes anywhere without her camera. Although she is busy with her family and friends, she finds herself travelling more and taking small day trips to take new pictures to paint.

Through all these excursions she's found a new interest for photography as well. "I'm always looking for interesting painting opportunities," said Koonstra. "I tend to look at things different now."

For example, she notices the light and shadowing behind things more often, as well as the contrast between colours. She prefers to take pictures and then paint back at home, rather than on location. It gives her more time to get the full detail. Koonstra paints a variety of items, and tends not to stick to one particular setting.

She is also an active member in a variety of other clubs and art associations, such as Ajax Creative Arts, Oshawa Arts Association, and the Uxbridge Art Association.