Henk Scholten immigrated from Holland at age nine, already a budding artist. He went on to become a carpenter and builder, and his artistic eye often showed up in his craftsmanship — curves, arches, beams, cabinets and furniture that carried a distinctly creative signature. Over the last 50 years, he’s left that signature on many well-loved projects in the Cowichan Valley, including the Fishbowl Cafe, Pomme Market, the Duncan Garage Cafe and Mill Bay Center — buildings and spaces that countless valley residents have passed through without necessarily knowing a local artist’s hand shaped the details.
Now retired from building, Henk has turned his focus back to drawing and painting, and sells his whimsical art cards at the Fishbowl, his daughter’s cafe. His work has a playful, storybook quality that reflects the same warmth and craftsmanship he brought to his carpentry over the decades. In his most recent works, Henk playfully includes real people who are delighted to find themselves tucked into his images — a nod to the community connections he’s built over half a century of working and creating in the valley.
It’s the kind of career arc that feels particularly Cowichan: a tradesperson whose functional work was always shot through with artistic intention, now free in retirement to let that artistic side take the lead. For anyone curious about his cards or interested in commissioning a piece, Henk can be reached directly at henkinsol@yahoo.ca.