April’s Journey
Back in 2007, I was creating art as a hobby while working as full time Registered Nurse in post open heart surgery in Victoria, BC, Canada. Fast forward 13+ years and I am now working as a full-time artist, having traded in my stethoscope for a paintbrush! I create colourful acrylic paintings that reflect my deep connection with west coast nature, especially trees. My favourite place to be is in the forest and my artwork aims to provide the viewer with a calming escape to the forest whenever they may need it. My work also explores the ways in which we are similar to the nature that surrounds us and what we can learn from the harmony of the forest. I work from my backyard studio among the trees in Maple Ridge near Vancouver BC and I’m often kept company by my dog Maple, who of course was named after a tree!
I am grateful to have people all over the world own my original paintings in their private collections. My work can be found online, at art fairs and public galleries. I offer a line of reproductions including greeting cards, prints and home decor items that can be found in shops around Canada and on my website. I have created many public art projects including a mural for the BC Children’s hospital, a painting of a salmon sculpture for the City of Coquitlam and a painting for a collaborative jewelry project given to Kate and Prince William by the Governer General of BC.
Artist Statement
A Professional Visual Artist, April Lacheur’s work explores the connection between humans and nature, with a specific focus on trees. Demonstrated through semi-abstract acrylic paintings, Lacheur examines these relationships on a deeper level by means of bold colours, flowing lines, exposed tree roots, phantom trees and layers, which vary in translucency and opacity.
Enamored with forests on the West Coast, Lacheur became inspired by the similarities between humans and trees. Both have the ability to generate deep roots intertwined with personal story and history. By exposing tree roots and allowing backgrounds of phantom trees to shine through, Lacheur exposes the unseen, the stories that are always there but never shared. This intentional disclosure provokes a genuine sense of vulnerability, understanding and collective unification. Trees and humans also transfer energy and build strong connections that result in a sense of belonging. Lacheur believes there is much we can learn from how harmoniously these connections take place within a forest and conveys this lesson within her paintings. Her work allows the viewer to simultaneously engage their imagination, creating a moment of escape – the awareness of a larger universal connection.
Lacheur’s paintings remind the viewer that we are not unlike the nature that surrounds us and therefore we should aim to both learn from it and protect it. When we share our stories by exposing our roots and backgrounds we can better communicate with and understand each other resulting in communities that flourish together, much like the forest. Delicate yet spirited, this work is about the beauty that connects us to one another and every human with nature.
Artist CV
November 2019 – Circle Craft Vancouver BC
November 2019 – Itsy Bitsy Group show at Beelong Gallery Penticton
November 2019 – Ensemble Group show at the Maple Ridge ACT gallery
August 2019 – Filberg Festival Comox BC
July 2019 -Victoria Art Gallery Moss St Paint-In Victoria BA
May 2019 – Maple Ridge Studio Tour Maple
March 2018 – Solo show Our Roots Exposed Port Moody Arts Center
Nov 2017 – Circle Craft Market Vancouver BC
July 2017 – Filberg Festival Comox BC
June 2017 – Canada 150 group show at Kimoto gallery Vancouver
Nov 2016 – Circle Craft Market Vancouver BC
April 2016 – Nature Lovers Solo Show Lut Vancouver BC
May 2014 – Deeply Rooted Solo show Visual Space Gallery Vancouver BC
March 2014 – One of a Kind Show Toronto ON
January 2020 – Custom Mural for Kanaka Creek Dental office Maple Ridge BC
October 2018 – Custom Mural for North Delta Senior Secondary Library Delta BC
March 2018 – Custom large painting for waiting area NICU Surrey Memorial Hospital BC
June 2017 – Art Wrap project for recycling program City of Richmond
February 2017 – Mural for main entrance Live Well Exercise Clinic Langley BC
August 2016 – Mural for CT scanner room for BC Children’s Hospital Vancouver BC
May 2016 – Painting of 7ft salmon statue 25 year celebration for City of Coquitlam BC
August 2015 – Mural for waiting area in Morgan Creek Medical Office Surrey BC
Sept 2015 15ft custom painting for Lord Kitchener Elementary School Vancouver BC
March 2015 – Mural for waiting area for Live Well Exercise Clinic Surrey BC
January 2015 – Painting commissioned by Governer General of BC office used in collaborative jewelry given to dignitaries and royalty visiting Victoria BC Office
March 2013 and 2014 – Commission designs for Skevik Skis Vernon BC
April 2014 – Street Banner project BIA Fort Langley BC
January 2013 – Commission designs for Railay Stand Up Paddle Boards Vancouver BC