I live and paint in the stunning village of Bear River, Nova Scotia, Canada where I find my muse in the picturesque surroundings.
My preferred mediums are acrylics, oils, and watercolors, and I draw inspiration from the captivating beauty of gardens and fields and the peaceful rural setting that envelops me.
I feel tremendous gratitude to live in rural Nova Scotia where I am able to create my art while living in an environment of nature. My life certainly didn’t start that way.
I grew up in downtown Toronto.
My immersion in creativity came naturally. My parents were involved in writing, publishing, the arts, and in social justice politics. My father operated an enormous Linotype machine and I grew up with a love of the smell of oil-based printers’ inks and a deep appreciation for type and the craft of typesetting. My mother was a painter, writer and gardener. I owe so much to them both, including my inquisitiveness and the ‘normalness’ of having art materials around the house.
At the Art Center at Central Technical School.I attended a 3 year fine art and craft program where I was introduced to many different mediums – clay, sculpture, printmaking, weaving and painting.
Afterwards I travelled to the German Democratic Republic to spend three years immersed in a new culture and language in socialist Berlin. I attended the Kunsthochschule Weissensee, Berlin and painted under the guidance of Professor Wolfram Schubert, a superb painter and printmaker. Those years had a profound influence on my world view and my development as an artist. I developed a personal understanding and compassion for people who find themselves ‘a stranger in a strange place.’ This understanding helped me in later years when I managed a library for young adult newcomers in Toronto.
After returning to Canada, I met Larry, my best friend and life partner.
Together, we pursued art along with raising our 2 creative children and working 9-5. I returned to school so I could work as a Library Technician, then as Librarian in education. There were many busy years of being a mother, working full time and taking university distance education courses towards an Arts BA.
During those years I continued painting and drawing and was active in the Don Valley Art Club in Toronto. I attended art workshops too. Life was full and hectic and I yearned for the day when I could devote myself fulltime to my art. This is all-too-typical story will resonate with most artists.
In 2007, our children grown, Larry and I left Toronto behind to resume chasing the dream of painting and silversmithing full time in this rural village of artists in eastern Canada.
It was and is a wonderful move. The pace has slowed, and folks are friendly.
The past 17 years have taken me on a journey in creativity. I have a rich inner and outer life, steeped in beauty with the ability to develop and grow in ways I had never imagined.