April Lacheur is a professional visual artist / painter living in Maple Ridge, BC. She paints unique interpretations of West Coast nature with special focus on the beauty and magic of trees. Read on to learn more about April’s nature-inspired artwork, favourite ways to spend time outdoors and advice for getting outside and unplugged.

I’m a full-time visual artist that paints my interpretations of BC’s nature with focus on the magnificent trees and forests that surround me. I’ve been a working artist for the past 14 years and was also a Registered Nurse. I now focus all of my time on my art career, having left the nursing profession 2 years ago. I work from my backyard studio in beautiful Maple Ridge, BC, among the trees and am often accompanied by my dog Maple, who of course is named after a tree.

On spending time outdoors

My favorite thing to do is spend time wandering in the forest, which I do often. I love to observe all of the magic that is happening in the forest and imagine all of the wonders that I can not see, such as the underground communication between the trees, plants and fungi.

Tree roots, nurse stumps and fungi fascinate me the most and I am deeply inspired by the idea that everything is working together in harmony in the forest. The idea that the old nurtures the new and that trees and plants communicate and watch out for each other is something we as humans can learn from. I feel calm, joyful and a sense that I am part of something bigger when I am in the forest.

I am lucky to live in Maple Ridge where there are lots of wonderful outdoor adventures close by. Golden Ears Provincial Park offers some amazing trails and Cliff Falls is also a favourite spot to explore. I also love all of the incredible nurse stumps and loads of fungi in Tynehead Regional Park in Surrey.

One of my favourite places to visit is Vancouver Island and I am especially enamoured by the wild natural beauty in Tofino. Arbutus trees are my very favourite tree and I love exploring Vancouver Island and finding gorgeous Arbutus trees along the way.

On creating art inspired by nature

I am most well known as a ‘tree artist’. I rarely paint something that does not include at least one tree. My work is not meant to be hyper-realistic and instead are my own unique interpretations of the nature that surrounds me. I do not paint from one specific location or photo but instead, I spend time in nature, especially the forest, collecting inspirations in my mind and then blend the ideas and inspirations together on the canvas. My work often includes bold colours and flowing line work as well as trees, fungi, stumps, seedlings and water. I am inspired by the ideas of connection and communication in the forest and how we can learn from this harmony.

A favourite moment from connecting with nature

I enjoy camping in the forest so anytime we get to camp among the large old growth trees makes for wonderful memories! This past year we converted a sprinter van into a camper van so we could get out and camp in nature even more and are looking forward to taking in more of beautiful BC this spring and summer.

April’s advice for getting outside and unplugged

Get out there! And also, take your time. Walk slowly when you are in the forest and truly observe. Look for the smaller details. Go hunting for cool fungi and look for cozy spots where an animal might hide. Touch the fuzzy moss, observe the tree roots and imagine all of the roots tangled beneath your feet just under the path. I love taking photos while I’m in the forest of all the small details because it makes me look closer for them. I think a bingo-type scavenger hunt in the forest would be a fun thing to do with kids!

Thank you so much, April!