Toronto School of Art 1998-2000
Various Art Workshops

Growing up in Peterborough, Ontario, I started painting in my teenage years. Primarily self-taught, I started with oil on canvas and was greatly motivated when I won first prize in a local juried exhibition. Encouraged over the years by my husband, I prefer working with oils. However, I have expanded my media to acrylics, pastels, pen and ink, and mixed media. Canadian landscapes and still life make up much of my portfolio but I have also more recently embraced abstract art. I have attended various workshops over the years and have studied at the Toronto School of Art.

As well as having multiple solo shows in Toronto, I have participated in numerous juried
shows. I have received ‘best in show’ award along with Curry’s Art Award. I have
had work displayed in a variety of galleries and municipal buildings in Toronto and other
Ontario locations. I continue to look forward to my next painting.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

My artwork is comprised of a mixture of subjects and media.  The landscapes are from places I have visited across this great land of Canada.  The still life works may be from an arrangement that has caught my eye on my travels or even found in my own backyard. I enjoy the process of manipulating the medium whether it be paint or pastel on paper and canvas. As I am painting, I am reliving my experience of being in that place all over again. I endeavour to give each work a mood through my interpretation of how that particular scene has affected me. With the use of colour and light I want to give the viewer an idea of the wonderful spaces and objects we have to enjoy.
I paint because I find it fun and I get a great deal of enjoyment from it. I hope my paintings in all their various styles will captivate and entertain the viewer.
The abstracts are a new addition to my portfolio. I enjoy the looseness and spontaneity of abstract. I have included several quotes of unknown source which sum up abstract painting from my point of view.
'I believe you can never really learn how to abstract paint. It is just something you do. In other words there is no destination - no finish line - you will always be learning and discovering as you go.'
'You don't have to get it right, you just have to get it going.'