Annette Kraft van Ermel

Annette Kraft van Ermel is an award-winning Canadian contemporary painter based in Waterloo, Ontario, known for her innovative wax-and-oil technique that blends encaustic-inspired processes with oil painting. Her work often begins with charcoal drawings inspired by nature, which are enveloped in hot wax before layers of oil paint are applied and manipulated, creating pieces where bees, flora, and natural forms emerge with complexity, edge, and raw allure.

Kraft van Ermel earned her BFA from York University, Toronto, and has exhibited professionally for many years. Her evolving process reflects a commitment to pushing traditional techniques, transforming familiar subjects into nature reimagined.

Her artwork has appeared in television shows including CTV’s The Marilyn Denis Show, CBC’s Workin’ Moms, and CBC productions such as The Rick Mercer Report; in magazines like HGTV and Style at Home; on book covers including Steven Ehrlick’s The Channel; and in music videos and theatre productions, including David Bowie’s Dead Man Walking. In 2015, she won the Silver Award at the Centre for International Governance Innovation Art Competition.

Kraft van Ermel’s paintings are held in private collections worldwide, including New York City, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, Brazil, and across Canada.