Hanna Bordewijk

People and animals are my favorite subjects to draw and paint. In the past 7 years I made over 150 commissioned portrait paintings and drawings, slowly getting more professional. Depending on my artistic view, I make my work in pencil, watercolor, acrylic, oil or a combination off.

Hanna Bordewijk was born in a small town in the Netherlands in an entrepreneurial family with a keen eye for the arts. Looking for a secure income, Hanna initially became a physiotherapist.

On a holiday with her friends in Turkey, tragedy struck. She had been assaulted, raped, and left in a coma. She suffered permanent injuries that forever changed the world she once knew. The injuries she sustained ended her career.

Hanna fought the best way she knew how, with kindness, and positivity. She wasn't going to let what happened to her overtake life. She started on a new adventure, moving to Canada in 2002.

In 2004, she started her own business in the town of Rapid City and later expanded operations by moving to Brandon. The business was successful and won awards, including the 2010 Brandon Chamber Businessperson of the Year. Hanna made the tough decision to close her shop when her mother's health had taken a turn for the worse. She started working from home as a bookkeeper until in 2017 she was diagnosed with Lupus.

Since 2017 Hanna started to explore her artistic talents with a focus on portraits. Using the darkness she's seen in the past, to create beautifully vivid pieces of art. She has taken many online courses and has had the privilege of attending a workshop with Annette Smith in Scottsdale, Arizona, who has been an inspiration to her. Additionally, she has also done portrait training with Ona Kingdon, who holds the position of president of the International Watercolor Society in Canada.

In March 2020 at the very start of the pandemic, she opened a womenswear store in a former church she and her husband bought. Whenever she has a moment, she keeps working on mastering painting by creating and learning with the goal of becoming a full-time artist.

Hanna is an active member of the Federation of Canadian Artists.