There’s something very powerful about exploring under your own speed, whether paddling a lake frequented by artist Tom Thomson, gazing skyward from your vantage point on the water surrounded by cliffs, or hiking to hidden waterfalls carved by the force of nature. Backcountry Brushes is a guide that takes the reader on various multiday canoe journeys, described in prose and accompanied with the author and artist’s watercolour illustrations.

Backcountry Brushes also includes practical tips for groups, such as route planning, backcountry etiquette, safety, and meal prep. Speelman’s passion for the outdoors clearly comes through in her work, making this book an enticing read for anyone who loves Canada’s wilderness, artwork, and connecting with others.

Arja Speelman is an artist and outdoor enthusiast. Originally from the Netherlands, she moved to Canada as a toddler and has been camping and exploring all her life. Over the past decade, Speelman has planned and participated in backcountry trips for groups of seven to fourteen people in various parks in northern Ontario. Backcountry Brushes is her first book.

Arja Speelman lives in Toronto, Ontario, with her husband and is mother to her three children and their spouses and grandmother to her eight grandchildren.