Interview with an artist
Trees, rocks, water, sky, wildlife - Sheila Van Delft paints refreshment for the soul
48x36 acrylic on canvas
Near Cathedral Grove on Vancouver Island – Sheila finds the forest one of the places where she recharges the best. She is so grateful to live in the country with trees all around her – and the endless inspiration they provide!
The quiet cool of a forest trail brings inspiration to artist Sheila Van Delft. As an introvert, she finds she can recharge by breathing deeply in the midst of nature. And in her work, she brings that feeling to others, through haunting scenes of groves on Vancouver Island, fog-filled vistas of the West Coast Trail, or serene views of a lone eagle surveying his kingdom.
“When I think deeply about why it’s always nature ,” she says,
“I realize that I’m painting my longing for the new earth and fellowship with God. Adam and Eve in Paradise enjoyed perfect nature with God, and the renewed earth will also have landscapes and seascapes, trees, animals, and big skies – all perfected and even more incredibly beautiful than what we enjoy here because of the redeeming work of Jesus. I long for this, and dream of this, and in my own way, must paint it again and again.”
Sheila is blessed to be able to work in art full-time – part-time as an art teacher and the rest of the time in her home studio. A typical day for her might involve: catching up on email requests and admin tasks, painting, taking a break for household tasks, taking the dog for a walk, brainstorming the next twenty paintings, painting some more, reluctantly making dinner, and then painting the rest of the evening because, really, it’s her favorite thing to do.
36x24 acrylic on canvas
The artist’s granddaughter in a field near her home in Ontario
Van Delft has been an artist since she was a child, encouraged by her parents. Later, she studied graphic design, and then even later, as a mature student, she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Arts. Through it all, she honed her skills, motivated by Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”
“I sometimes have market customers tell me that they feel so at peace when they look at my work, or that they don’t want to leave because it’s all so beautiful. I marvel at this! How can it be that what I do can have this effect? It’s all God’s hand working through my hand.”
One of the things she’s most proud of is her work as a high school teacher. Through it, Sheila nurtures her students’ ability to use their talents to share beauty and truth. Students she never expected have come up to her and admitted she made them care about art, and that brings her a feeling of fulfillment.
“When I try capture emotions like awe, contentment, gratitude, harmony, joy, peace, and wholeness in my paintings, I think others can feel that too. And that’s why I paint, so others can also feel the hopeful anticipation of the better life that is coming. I’m trying to share a bit of Heaven.”
Learn more about Sheila Van Delft's work on her website, where you can also stay up to date about the markets and other events where you can view her work in person. And she shares her work on Instagram and Facebook.
Send Harma-Mae Smit suggestions for artists to profile at [email protected]
News
Saturday Selections – June 6, 2026
When a famous apologist dismisses the Bible...
William Lane Craig is such an acclaimed apologist that many a conservative Christian has heard him praised. But when it comes to Craig's thoughts on the opening chapters of Genesis, Donall and Conall have some problems with him.
Why wokeness is a Christian heresy
"First... critical theory misunderstands who we are by assuming that the only relevant fact about us is where we fit within the various categories of oppression. We are the group we belong to, which serves a social role as either oppressor or oppressed. As such, this theory rejects any universals that unite humanity, including the image of God.
"Second, the understanding of sin, or what’s wrong with the human condition, is limited to oppression. In this view, oppressors are guilty and the oppressed are innocent."
Push for mandatory abortion for pregnant minors highlights what's going on behind the scenes
One mistake frequently made in the abortion battle is that we forget what the other side wants. If we were debating Nazis, we wouldn't forget that they want to gas Jews. But when we discuss abortion, we regularly forget that the people we are talking to want babies murdered. We forget that the other side isn't just wrong, but is evil. I don't say that to foster hatred, or anger, but rather to highlight that this isn't some polite debate between two parties looking to each score their points. This is a spiritual battle that needs a spiritual response. We need to speak not just logic, but preach the gospel. When a monstrous wrong is called a right, people shouldn't get told to reconsider, but need to be called to repent.
And if you have any doubts about the spiritual aspect of this battle, then read this article, where the evil is even more unvarnished, with a British Columbia (what is it about BC?) philosophy professor pushing for mandatory abortion for pregnant minors.
Tim Challies: Go ahead, bring a knife to a gunfight
"You may wish you had the sword of compelling argument, the rapier of sharp and thrusting wit, or the spear of the perfect put-down. However, God may not have gifted you in any of these ways. Yet there is always something you can do, and there is always some weapon you can wield. Don’t sit around pining for what you don’t have, but resolve to use what you do have...."
End supply management – for the sake of Canadian consumers
Why do Christians want a free market rather than socialism?
Well, one good reason is, we know only God is omniscient, so the government simply doesn't have the capacity to know how much of everything should be produced, and who should get how much, and for what price. Meanwhile, Canada's supply management operates under just those presumptions. In the name of helping farmers, it limits what farmers can produce to deliberately drive up the price of their goods. And who pays that price?
"According to a Fraser Institute estimate, supply management adds roughly $375 a year to the average Canadian household’s grocery bill. Because lower-income families spend a much higher proportion of their income on food, the burden falls most heavily on them."
Another solid biblical reason to oppose socialism? We are called to "Do unto others as you would want done to you" (Luke 6:31). If it doesn't strike you as wrong that poor families are being forced to support farmers by being required to pay artificially higher prices, imagine if the same was happening to your own favorite goods: your car, your house, or your jeans. Have you thought about how helpful it would be for those goods' producers if they were making more money off of your purchases? So why not get the government to restrict production there too, so that prices will rise? Wouldn't such government intervention be good for every producer? So why not make it universal?
Because it would hurt consumers enormously.
And it would hurt producers too – anyone who had any inputs in their production process would be paying higher costs for everything, making their own goods less competitive on any international markets. It would hurt consumers and it would hurt productivity.
So why would do we think it a good idea for eggs and dairy?
A presuppositional rock song
This could make a good final exam for our Christian schools – to graduate you must be able to understand and apply what this rock song is talking about.
Today's Devotional
June 6 - Joy in God’s revelation
“In the way of Your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches… I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget Your Word.” - Psalm 119:14, 16
Scripture reading:Psalm 119:1-16
While joy in our salvation in Christ is the fountain, that joy naturally carries over to all the blessings we have in Christ. The Christian’s joy is multi-faceted. We find >
Today's Manna Podcast
God placed all things under Jesus' feet for the church
Serving #1230 of Manna, prepared by Rev. Richard Aasman, is called "God placed all things under Jesus' feet for the church".
