AnnickPress

Vlasta van Kampen graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design in 1966, winning a scholarship to study typography and book design in the Netherlands. There she discovered the desire to illustrate children’s books. 

Returning to Canada, she started a successful career, combining studio work, workshops in schools and libraries, teaching at the Ontario College of Art and Design and being an at-home-mother.  

Vlasta is an award-winning illustrator with 32 children’s books to her credit. She lives in the beautiful, hilly countryside of Trent Hills, Ontario and works from a studio overlooking a forest, beaver pond and wild farm fields. She is inspired by a love of nature and her boundless imagination that gives her paintings a unique voice. Vlasta delights in her work and in the pure joy of developing animal characters and situations that will bring on a smile and laughter from the viewer. Her art is storytelling in great detail and is rendered in rich, saturated watercolors. Her latest book for Annick Press, The Bears We Know (2009), displays both her fine artistic talent and her raucous sense of humor.  

A large body of Vlasta’s work, Rockanimals, has been purchased by The National Library of Canada and is now part of their archives and art collection for children. 

As far back as she can remember, she has lived with a pencil in hand. Her parents encouraged her drawing, but it was her mother with her famous sewing room who hooked her on all things creative. There, you could find almost anything, and many of her projects were inspired by findings in that room. 

There are no memorable books from her childhood because there were no libraries or bookstores readily available; however, today her book shelves are filled with a wonderful assortment of children’s picture books. Reviewing this collection and working with young people kindles ideas for new projects, pushing her to a higher level of creativity and developing a love of art for children. 

Her family has always been very supportive, a great source of inspiration, and it is thanks to this care and encouragement that she has enjoyed a wonderfully fulfilling and exciting career. 

Her artistic goal is to entertain and engage the viewer, young and old, in a discovery trip into her animal world and to savor the humor and detail in each of her paintings. 

Currently, Vlasta conducts children’s workshops and explores new possibilities for children’s books.