Appreciating Nature Through Art

Anita raises awareness “about the plight of our beautiful wildlife and helps the organizations that protect them.” A portion of sales of all animal paintings, prints, and art greeting cards is donated to wildlife rescue and animal rights organizations.

We wanted to celebrate the wonderful people we meet who contribute so much to our work to connect people to nature, protect habitats, big and small and give wildlife a voice. We are fortunate to have so many remarkable people in our ‘wildlife family’, many have been involved for decades, often dating back to our rehabilitation days. 

Doctors, diplomats, artists, homemakers, members of parliament, farmers, teachers, and a tech company CEO who fostered baby rabbits, were involved in our program.  A litter of baby raccoons were actually fostered at one of the embassies in Ottawa.

This diverse group all share a concern and passion for wildlife and nature. One of these remarkable people is Anita Utas. 

We first connected with Anita over a decade ago when she worked tirelessly to challenge the City of Ottawa’s outdated and inhumane practice of trapping beavers. She met with councillors, arranged community meetings, applied tree protection, and even assisted with school presentations to educate children about the value of coexisting with wildlife. 

We knew that Anita was an artist but did not realize the role that nature and wildlife played in her work.

Anita received her honours degree in Art History as well as her Bachelor of Education at Western University. After working as an art teacher with the public school board, Anita traveled overseas and spent seven years teaching in international schools in South East Asia and South America. She has traveled extensively and draws upon these experiences as inspiration for her landscape paintings. Her love for animals is expressed in her continuing series of wildlife paintings.

“My landscapes often capture ephemeral moments as viewed in nature; the quiet magic when the day moves to dusk, the reflection of a forest in a lake, the softness of a misty morning. I am drawn to the calming forces of far-off vistas; landscapes that are beyond simple visual identification.”

Anita’s connection to wildlife is evident in her art, we are so impressed not only by her talent but her ability to capture the spirit and soul of the animals she paints. 
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Anita has been painting professionally for over 12 years. She is represented in galleries across Ontario, and her work is included in corporate and private collections in Canada, the U.S.A., and Europe. To view her work you can visit www.anitautas.com
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Anita continues to be an advocate for wildlife and nature and is always on alert. She connects with community members on a range of wildlife issues, actively challenges outdated practices that harm wildlife, such as the coyote killing contest in Belleville and the on-going trapping of beavers in Ottawa.

Working with people like Anita, and seeing their passion and commitment serves as great inspiration to us, particularly on some issues that are decade-long battles. 

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