Kristin Van Ginkel, Artist, Retired Architect
kristinvg@shaw.ca - 403-630-4193
Born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Kristin is a proud third generation Calgarian. While attending high school, Kristin enrolled in the Grade 10 Drafting class, which ended up being a pivotal decision, as she not only excelled at drafting but loved it. As a result, she decided to pursue an education in Architecture. Beginning her education at Arizona State University, she completed her Architecture degree at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana. Having worked as a summer student throughout university, and then successfully writing her architectural exams through Washington, D.C. which enabled her to be licensed throughout Canada and the United States, Kristin quickly moved up the ranks in her profession as an Associate and then Partner with one of the largest Architectural firms in Western Canada.
Over the course of 22 years, Kristin’s focus was on Commercial Architecture; specifically developer based multi-family residential, office, hotel and resort developments, retail, industrial, and land use planning. Her forte was working as a liaison between the developer, community groups and the city to attain land use redesignations and increased development potential. Her passion in architecture was the preliminary design, through sketches, and the coordination of all disciplines involved to bring the project to a successful completion. Her design of the GE Harris Office and Manufacturing building in Calgary for Hopewell Development, was awarded the 2001 BOMA Building of the Year and achieved the highest standard of green energy efficient design. Further to her architectural career, Kristin was involved in the community. She sat on the Board of both Theatre Calgary and The Calgary Opera and was a member of the Advisory Council for the School of Architecture at Montana State University. In 2006, when Paul and Kristin welcomed their daughter, Isabella, Kristin retired from Architecture and took on her new role as a full time ‘mom’.
Kristin has always loved all of the arts, especially painting. Her passion and knowledge for fine art dramatically increased when she married renowned artist Paul Van Ginkel in 2004. Through observing his creativity, Kristin felt deeply inspired to try her hand at painting and thus created a watercolour series of 8 paintings of Mexican doors. The impressive results of this series fueled her desire to commit to a new career as a fine art painter. Kristin and Paul traveled to Venice, Italy in October 2015 with the primary intention to immerse themselves in this magnificent city and subsequently each create a series of paintings. Below is the ongoing series of watercolour paintings that Kristin has created of the Venetian doors and canal scenes. Kristin is passionately inspired to continue creating architectural subjects through watercolour paintings and is looking forward to travelling to other old-world countries, in pursuit of additional inspirational images.
‘As a retired Architect, I have always been drawn to the mystery, beauty, strength, intrigue and history that lies within and behind every door – I imagine who has passed though each one, who lived beyond, who tried to locate, and who closed the door behind them, never to enter again…....’
AVAILABLE PAINTINGS
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| Una Passeggiata nella Storia (A Walk in History).
35" X 27" (with frame)
watercolour
| Entrare nella Storia (Stepping into History)
35” X 27” (with frame)
watercolour
| Balconi Abbondanti (Bountiful Balconies)
35" X 27" (with frame)
watercolour
| Piani di Storia (Storeys of History)
35” X 27” (with frame)
watercolour
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| | | | "Pedaggio Attraverso il Secoli" (Tolled Through the Centuries)
35" X 27" (with frame)
watercolour
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SELECTED SOLD PAINTINGS
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| Giardino Dietro il Cancello
(Garden Behind the Gate)
35" X 27" (with frame)
watercolour
| Numero della Porta 2499
35" X 27" (with frame)
watercolour
| Numero della Porta 2841A
35" X 27" (with frame)
watercolour
| Numero della Porta 3519
35" X 27" (with frame)
watercolour
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| Secoli di Riflessione
(Centuries of Reflection)
35" X 27" (with frame)
watercolour
| Numero della Porta 2868
35" X 27" (with frame)
watercolour
| Numero della Porta 2175
27" X 35" (with frame)
watercolour
| Numero della Porta 6326
35" X 27" (with frame)
watercolour
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| La Bellezza Oltre il Canale (Beauty Beyond the Canal)
35" X 27" (with frame)
watercolour
| Numero della Porta 2840
35" X 27" (with frame)
watercolour
| Numero della Porta 3832
35" X 27" (with frame)
watercolour
| L'attuale Delicata del Tempo
(The Gentle Current of Time)
27" X 35" (with frame)
watercolour
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| Elegant Senza Tempo Attraverso Tides Antichi
(Timeless Elegance through Ancient Tides)
35" X 27" (with frame)
watercolour
| Numero della Porta 667
35” X 27” (with frame)
watercolour
| La Profondita di Eleganza
(The Depth of Elegance)
35" X 27" (with frame)
watercolour
| Romanticismo Italiano
(Italian Romance)
27" X 35" (with frame)
watercolour
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| Nel cortile Dell’immaginazione (In the Courtyard of Imagination)
36" X 28.50" (with frame)
watercolour
| Dove Conduce la Luce Veneziana
(Where the Venetian Light Leads)
35" X 27" (with frame)
watercolour
| Dietro l'angolo della Storia (Around the corner of History)
36" x 28.50" (framed size)
watercolour
| Un Giro Solitario al Lavoro (A Solitary Ride to Work)
27" X 35" (with frame)
watercolour
SOLD
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| Antica Maestà (Ancient Majesty)
35” X 27” (with frame)
watercolour
| Acqua da Parete a Parete a Parete (Wall to Wall to Wall Water)
35” X 27” (with frame)
watercolour
| "Il Bagliore del Romanticismo" (The Glow of Romance)
35" X 27" (with frame)
watercolour
| "Ti Amo Fino alla Luna del Pantheon e Ritorno…"(I Love You to the Pantheon Moon and Back…)
35" X 27" (with frame)
watercolour
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