Artistic practice

Rela Teeuwsen is an acrylic painter. She holds a BA in Art Education from Dordt College (2011), and recently opened her own home studio.  She lives and works in St Catharines, ON, and takes inspiration from the beautiful Niagara Region.  Recent exhibitions include the Pelham Art Festival 2025, AOTC Artworks 2025, and Artists Network “Think Pink” Show January 2026. She is currently working on a series inspired by the produce of Niagara.

My work is playful, colourful, and full of movement.  I work in acrylics, layering thin to thick on a toned canvas, incorporating techniques from both oil painting and watercolours. This recent work is still-life inspired by the beauty in the ordinary and every-day, striving to capture those fleeting moments or memories that bring a flash of joy.

Working with food has always been part of my life.  Baking sessions with family or friends, learning on my own, baking has always brought me peace.  Living in the Niagara region is inspiring; surrounded by orchards, picking up baskets of fresh-picked fruits from a roadside stand, fruits glowing like jewels.  We are often told not to “play with our food”; this collection of work is focused on what happens when we do engage, play, have fun, and give permanence to something that is by nature temporary and consumable.”

Upcoming Community Events:

Paws-itively Canine Market
Where: Jordan Lions Park
When: May 9, 10am–3pm

International Women’s Day Vendor Event
Where: Niagara-on-the-Lake (hosted by SH Consulting)
When: March 6

Exhibitions/Group Shows:

2026
Pelham Art Festival and Online Show - Fonthill, ON - May
"Think Pink" Artist's Network - Toronto, ON - January

2025
AOTC Holiday Market - Mississauga, ON - November
AOTC Artworks - Mississauga, ON - September
Square Foot Show, White Galleon Gallery - St Catharines, ON - July
Pelham Art Festival and Online Show - Fonthill, ON - May

2024
Solo Show of Watercolour Maps -  Niagara Falls, ON - December
RAIN Art Crawl - St Catharines, ON - October