Vancouver pollinator festival 2026

Whimsical artworks by local mother and hat enthusiast Hill Kent instill wonder, joy, and celebrate the beauty of the natural world. Hill is a creative badass who paints murals, teaches workshops and makes art part of her every day. Favorite things: family, mythic creatures, flowers, laughter, tea and croissants. Hill Kent creates with upcycled and natural materials for her business Hill Yeah! Eco Arts. She is enraptured by the full and slow process of making color - collecting supplies like leaves and clay, processing into paint and finally seeing the playful forms the colors take on wood and paper, and walls! Her bright and playful work explores dreams, balance, and cycle of life.

I'm an artist, art instructor and the author of the Embracing Encaustic book series. I create imagined landscapes with lush botanical forms and vibrant colors reminiscent of places I have loved, like my childhood home in Hawai’i and my current home in the US Pacific Northwest. 

It has always been a priority for me to live close to inspiring natural areas because of the impact it has on my work and my state of mind. I want my paintings to be reminders that we are not separate from nature, and that our future is rooted in helping her thrive. 

For almost two decades I have exhibited my paintings and taught art workshops throughout the United States, and currently offer encaustic courses bringing together a community of local and international artists. 

I spent several years traveling and teaching at schools and art conferences in the United States and Canada, including Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Tennessee, Idyllwild Arts in California, and The International Encaustic Conference in Massachusetts.

Kim Wessa specializes in eco-printed art using botanical materials found on her acreage in Battle Ground. Wessa creates one-of-a-kind pieces by steaming leaves, plants, flowers, and stems onto various papers and fabrics, preserving their colors and prints.

The process takes about three days, and Kim states she doesn’t know what result she will get until the work is unloaded and has dried.

“Different seasons produce different effects,” she says. But for her, one thing remains constant. “The beauty that nature has to offer is breathtaking.”