I love painting outdoors in the summer, drawing inspiration from our beautiful nature in Alberta. In the winter, I paint in my studio using oils. I love painting animal and people portraits, landscapes, florals, and also cityscapes.
Vesna is a Calgary artist. She has worked mostly in acrylics for the last 20 years but added oils to her experience a few years ago. She enjoys painting portraits, cityscapes, and landscapes of nature.
She is drawing inspiration from the beautiful landscapes Alberta has to offer and is on a journey to paint en plein air in the Rockies and prairies while surrounded by like-minded artists.
Grew up in Bosnia, former Yugoslavia, Vesna attended art classes from early grades. She was invited to be a part of the hometown artist colony, but it didn’t come to fruition due to logistical issues.
Since her move to Canada, Vesna has taken numerous classes at a variety of institutions, from local community colleges and artists’ studios to ACAD and Alberta University of the Arts.
Most recent instructors include Nick Rooney, Ema Rach-Syslak, and Alyssa Skilnick, from whom Vesna enjoyed learning the classical old masters’ techniques. Other short plein air workshops include those by Doug Swinton, David Shkolny, and Stephen Purdy.
Vesna started Plain Air painting with Come Pein Alberta in 2022. Attended numerous painting events over the last few years. Some highlights are Rosebud, Cochrane/Glenbow Ranch, Bar U Ranch, and many others. Plein Air painting combines Vesna’s love of the great outdoors with the art of creation. She is an avid hiker, and her transition to plein air was natural once she found a community of like-minded people. She enjoys many new friendships that are forged through this art discipline.
Accolades:
“Red Barn” plein air painting was voted by the jury as the “Best Urban” at the Rosebud plein air competition in September 2025.
At the recent art show at Swinton’s Art, Vesna’s portrait, “Leo Cowboy,” won the “The Wow Factor” award. This painting was completed in workshops with Emma Rach-Syslak and Michelle Grant.
Vesna joined the Calgary Sketch and Painting Club in 2025 and will be showing her work regularly at their shows. She is also a supporting member of FCA and is planning to apply for the Exhibiting member in the next two years. Vesna joined the Route 22 Artist Collective in the summer of 2026, and she is very excited about being part of this amazing gallery and collective.
