© 2021 Willa Downing

Willa Downing, Artist _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________

Biography



A Canadian artist, Willa Downing grew up in southwestern Ontario and moved to Vancouver BC to study at the University of British Columbia, where she obtained a PhD in biochemistry. As a scientist, she has worked in plant research in Canada and abroad. Her scientific work has been published in several international, peer-reviewed journals.


Willa is also passionate about making art. She has a diploma in painting and drawing from the Emily Carr College (now University) of Art + Design, Vancouver. Her artwork, inspired by science and mathematics, has been exhibited in British Columbia and Alberta.


Willa has taught at the Emily Carr University of Art + Design, and has given lectures in plant biotechnology at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, BC. She now lives and works in Surrey BC, where she is a founding member of three community art organizations: Day of Drawing, Z.inc Artist Collective and Contemporary Art Matters. She is a long-time volunteer at Surrey’s Darts Hill Garden, where she had also served as a board director.