Artist Statement:
I started drawing and painting as a child, and that interest eventually led to studying fine art and art history
at university. In my early working life, however, art became a leisure pursuit and it wasn’t until I became a secondary school art teacher in the late 1990s and had to ‘walk the talk’ that I began to paint intently.
Over the last 20 years I have experimented with all kinds of painting media: acrylic, watercolour, gouache, pastels, encaustic, and have often mixed these materials when it suited me. As an art teacher I had to teach all media, so experimentation was an imperative, and this gave me the confidence to take creative risks with media that ultimately affected my painting style and forms of expression. Currently I paint mainly in acrylic, but often draw back into my work with pastel.
My paintings of objects, figures and landscapes are inspired by the representational world, creatively re-imagined. Whether I am painting a Provence landscape, a still life with flowers or a seated figure, I don’t copy what I see, but look for its essential form. Through experimentation I re-create the subject using varying degrees of exaggeration, expressive colour and strong composition. In this way I try to create art works that are visually interesting, accessible and timeless. Stylistically I move between contemporary realism and expressive abstraction.
I am always learning, and always interested in seeing and exploring new ways of working. I try to be aware of key ‘aha’ moments when painting in order to take advantage of the possibility of trying something new or different. I love the painting process: loading a brush with juicy colour and the physicality of applying it to a canvas, then intuitively adding more marks in spontaneous ways, watching shapes emerge and disappear, being in the ‘zone’, and listening to one’s inner voice. When ‘it’ all works there is a wonderful sense of accomplishment. Later on, I just enjoy the visual experience of looking at the results.
Education:
I hold degrees in fine art (B.A. Western University 1974) and art history (M.A. University of Toronto, 1977) and a degree in art education (B.Ed., University of Toronto 1997).
Awards & Distinctions:
Honourable Mention Award, Longboat Key Centre for the Arts Exhibition 2015
Professional/Teaching Experience:
VARIOUS WORKSHOPS FOR ADULTS & ART GROUPS:
'Painting with Acrylics and Pastels', Society of York Region Artists, Fall 2012
'From Photo to Landscape Painting', Richmond Hill Group of Artists, Fall 2013
'Drawing & Watercolour Painting Fundamentals', Spring & Fall 2013, My Studio
Acrylics Techniques, Spring 2014, My Studio
VISUAL ART SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHER, 1997-2008
Exhibitions:
Bi-annual Studio Exhibitions;
Longboat Key Centre for the Arts Community Art Exhibitions, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
Artistic Influences:
I love to visit museums and galleries to see both historical art and art being produced now. My favorite artists include Henri Matisse, Wolf Kahn, Richard Diebenkorn, Joan Mitchell, Tom Thompson, Shirley Trevena, Robert Genn, Bobbie Burger and Steve Driscoll. They are all masters of colour – and their work is a feast for the eyes.
Artist Tags:
contemporary realism figures, landscapes, still life, abstraction
