In Vanessa Martin’s classroom, art isn’t just about what ends up on the wall. It’s about the courage to begin, the persistence to continue, and the quiet triumph of making something your own. A week after the opening night of the 2025/26 Series, and 11 years after she began facilitating after-school art classes for Jasper students, Mme Vanessa mused about what keeps her creativity firing.
Q: Vanessa, when you look at this collection of student work, created this year by students from kindergarten to Grade 9, what makes you most proud?
It’s the diversity—and the ownership. Every piece you see here comes from a series of decisions the students made themselves. That’s what matters to me. They didn’t just follow instructions; they chose, they explored, and they committed to their ideas. You can feel that sense of authorship in the work.
Q: You often talk about “starting from nothing.” What does that mean in your classroom?
Everything begins from nothing—no object, no clear path, just an idea. Students have to decide where to begin: a colour, a shape, a feeling. From there, every mark is a decision. That’s what creation is. People sometimes look at the finished work and take it for granted, but they don’t always see that it didn’t exist before. The student brought it into being.
Q: And finishing the work—is that just as important as starting it?
Absolutely. Starting is difficult, but finishing can be even harder. You have to persevere, even when you’re unsure or when things don’t look the way you imagined. I’m very proud of the students for that—for pushing through and deciding, “This is done.” That moment of completion is also ownership.
Q: You emphasize the creative process over the final result. Why?
Because the process is where everything happens. The final piece is just what we see on the outside, but the real work is internal. It comes from within the student—their thoughts, their questions, their imagination. There’s a kind of invisible journey behind every artwork. If we only focus on the outcome, we miss that entirely.
Q: How do you encourage students to connect with that internal process?
I don’t give them the answer, or a recipe, just something to try. I don’t say how it’s going look at the end.
They have to imagine it, find it, look for it, find it in themselves. By preparing the material and the
subject, usually I give them a sense of the process. But they experiment, find their own way.
Q: What’s it like to watch that creative journey unfold over time?
You can see moments where a student surprises themselves—when something suddenly works, or when they realize they’ve improved. That’s a powerful feeling. It builds confidence. Each student has at least one moment like that, where they think, “Wow, I did that.” Those are the moments that stay with them.
Q: How does the year-end exhibition factor into that journey?
The exhibition is important because it completes the cycle. Creating something also means sharing it. Throughout the year, we spend time together in this space, building energy, experimenting, learning. Showing the work here, in the same place it was created, feels meaningful. It reflects that shared experience.
Q: What do you hope people see when they walk through the exhibit?
I hope they look beyond the surface. Each piece represents time, effort, and a series of choices. It’s like anything we consume—we should ask what is it made out of and how it was made ? You are already saying something by the choice of the media you will use. If I use a soft line, if I use torn paper or if I use a collage, I am already not saying the same thing. It is a language. There’s a quiet kind of magic in that
transformation from nothing to something.
Q: And what is the best part for you, personally?
The time spent together. That’s the heart of it. Especially in the winter, it brings brightness, playfulness, and connection. We create together, we explore together—and that shared experience is just as important as the art itself.
Q: You’ve said you’re indebted to the Jasper Habitat for the Arts and Marianne Garrah in particular. How has Marianne’s guidance influenced this art class?
Marianne has given wings to my dreams since the start. I am extremely grateful for her constant presence and unwavering support.
Q: Is there any one else to mention before we wrap up?
Last year we celebrated the 10th year of the art class. But nothing would have taken place without the children of Jasper. Their talents, their readiness to explore and take on challenges in art inspires me. Thank you to the families who entrusted me for many years.
Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com
