Artist Statement
through their Windows
In through their Windows, Vander Heide addresses and acknowledges the importance of children’s mental health and well-being. In the delicate paintings, Vander Heide utilizes shape, color, texture and scale to conceptualize complex emotions that children struggle to verbalize and express. From a lack of government support, medical neglect, bias and educational mistreatment, Vander Heide speaks to a narrative that fails to remember and recognize that children are their own individuals with their own stresses. Acknowledging that if we can’t accommodate for what they truly need, then we are actively failing our children. The works seek to acknowledge and create visibility for the percentage of children that are being left behind due to the lack of support, and asks how we can better understand, recognize, and care for children with mental health disorders to ensure the well-being of future generations. The paintings reference children’s arts and crafts with the use of pieces of washi, toned paper, found papers, gouache, watercolor, pencil crayon, crayon and various other drawing mediums. Vander Heide likens this to the free, creative childlike spirit of creating drawings and the self-expression present when children engage in this creative activity.
Anna Vander Heide is a Canadian illustrator located in Toronto. She uses her personal experiences, thoughts, and feelings, to illustrate complex and abstract concepts, emotions, and topics. Anna utilizes texture and linework in her illustrations through both digital and traditional mediums to convey contemporary concepts in stylistically innovative ways. She works in children’s literature and editorial illustrations, but loves to explore various other disciplines.