Margriet Van Erp - Glimpsing the Other Side

With more than 40 years as an artist and designer, Margriet Van Erp has left a creative legacy that reaches throughout Southwestern Ontario and beyond. Her work has found its way into the homes and lives of thousands of people, from custom stained glass and clay sculptures to paintings and other original creations.

For Margriet, however, being an artist has never simply been about making beautiful things. It is about paying attention. Being still. Listening, learning and looking beyond the ego to find a deeper connection to the world—and to oneself.

“Aligning with Spirit,” is how Margriet describes her artistic journey.

That journey began early. Growing up, Margriet’s mother encouraged her and her siblings to explore all kinds of arts and crafts—from embroidery, knitting and crocheting to sewing, drawing, painting, music and dance. Creativity was always present in her childhood, although it was considered a hobby rather than something that could become a career.

That would change.

After graduating from high school, Margriet embarked on an extraordinary European backpacking adventure at just 18. Beginning in Torremolinos, Spain, she travelled through France, Germany, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands and Belgium before returning home later that year. The experience stayed with her.

That journey, she says, forever changed the way she saw life and gave her a deeper appreciation for the gift of being a creative spirit.

Her creative life continued alongside a career in advertising, where she worked in senior management and in creative and production roles. Meanwhile, she and her husband Ted developed a love of collecting, particularly during their years living in Toronto. Their home became a reflection of their curiosity—filled with antiques, European furniture, pottery, glass bottles, brass pieces, books and other treasures collected along the way.

In 1996, Margriet made a life-changing decision. She left her advertising career behind and became a full-time artist, establishing MVE Designs. That adventure eventually led her and Ted to Kincardine in 2002.

Her artistic practice has taken many forms. She has worked with ceramics, stained glass, oil paints, watercolours and drawing. Each medium offers something different, but spontaneous drawing has become particularly satisfying because it allows her mind, eye and hand to move freely.

And then there are the trees.

Nature, wildlife and forests have been a constant source of inspiration throughout Margriet’s life. The image of trees first appeared in her childhood drawings and has continued to evolve through clay, glass and painting. Today, roots and trees appear again in her spontaneous drawings, carrying an increasingly spiritual meaning.

“Trees and forests started young and have continually evolved,” she explains, “to re-appear as the primary image in all my artwork.”

Margriet’s creative life has also been deeply connected to community. In 2001, she became involved with a group working to establish an artist cooperative at the Old Town Hall. The group’s work eventually led to the Victoria Park Gallery, and the experience inspired Margriet and Ted to make another significant life change—to leave Toronto and purchase the building at 708 Queen Street in Kincardine.

The building became the SeeView Gallery, opening its doors in May 2003. It continued for many years as both a gallery and an art studio for MVE Designs. Although Margriet has now retired, creativity remains very much a part of her life through drawing, exploring ideas and continuing to follow wherever her creative spirit leads.

For someone who has spent a lifetime surrounded by art, collecting has naturally become part of the story. But Margriet’s interests extend well beyond the studio. She is an avid reader and finds peace and inspiration in the writings of Christian mystics, Buddhist teachers, contemplative thinkers and spiritual writers. She is also deeply drawn to nature and the natural world.

And there are a few things about Margriet that might surprise people. She can play the accordion, enjoys German heritage songs and can happily engage in a German conversation. Her years in the “world of advertising” also reveal another fascinating chapter of her life, one that included the business of commercial art and design for product marketing.  Knowledge she shared as chair on the Kincardine BIA from 2005-2009 participating in promoting our Lakeside Downtown. 

If she could spend an afternoon with anyone from history, her choice would be Hildegard von Bingen, the remarkable 12th-century German abbess, mystic, composer, writer and student of nature and healing. Margriet would simply want to listen—to hear Hildegard speak about her visions, her work and her understanding of the world.

For those who believe they aren’t creative, Margriet has some thoughtful advice: learn the language.

Study, learn and practice, she says. Understand the materials, the tools and the craft. If you struggle with the medium, you may think you aren’t creative when, in fact, you simply haven’t yet learned the language.

And perhaps that is the perfect way to understand Margriet’s own creative journey. Whether she is working with glass, clay, paint or pencil, she isn’t simply creating an object. She is exploring something deeper.

When asked what she hopes people will experience when they encounter her work, her answer is beautifully simple:

“Glimpse the other Side.”

Perhaps that is what Margriet has been doing all along—using art, nature, travel, curiosity and a lifetime of looking closely to invite us to pause, look within, and glimpse something beyond what first meets the eye.