About Canadian Artist, Kristy Depper

Kristy Depper is an Ottawa-based multidisciplinary artist and educator who transitioned from a thirty-year career in commercial photography to a meditative practice in painting and soft pastel. Holding an MFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD) and a BFA from Metropolitan University, her work is deeply informed by her heritage as a descendant of a founding Métis family (Laramée-Cloutier). Prioritizing material integrity, she incorporates ethically sourced, Canadian-made pigments to honour her maternal ancestral roots and the land.

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Her art offers a vibrant, colourful exploration of Canada’s diverse landscapes and botanical forms from coast to coast. Rather than striving for strict realism, Depper aims to capture the "picturesque" and "sublime" using her own photography as a map for her paintings. By translating the dancing light and intricate textures encountered while hiking or paddling into expressive works in watercolour, acrylic, and pastel, she invites the viewer to share in the joy and peace of the natural world.