the Artist and her Work
Applying the phrase ‘self-taught’ artist to myself I feel begs some defining. The teaching came, not from picking up a brush or pastel stick and attempting to create a piece of artwork… that came later on, but it was more the life experiences that shaped my outlook on the world around me.
From my upbringing steeped in the arts… mostly creative expression through music and dance, to experimenting with a bohemian lifestyle (living in ‘the Village’ as Toronto’s Yorkville district was known then), a stint on Vancouver Island in a log cabin where I discovered the meaning of ‘serenity’, to a ‘back to the land’ chapter where I dabbled in writing and illustrating children’s books, to experiencing the joy of a home birth… each page contributing to the shaping and developing of an inner character who eventually needed to surface and pour out, express, the resulting mist-covered memories and feelings within.
I was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. My father, a true ‘bluenoser’ whose roots run deep in Nova Scotia soil, instilled in me the sense that Nova Scotia was ‘home’. And so it naturally followed that one day I would find the path that led back home. The 1854 house in which I now dwell was built by a descendant of my 4x great grandparents!
The art inclination, however, came from my grandfather on my mother’s side who was a mural artist. His works graced the homes of some of Toronto’s elite including the summer home of Timothy Eaton, the founder of the T. Eaton Co. Ltd. His love of creating restful pastoral scenes has trickled down through the genes and found its way into the heart of his granddaughter.
For many years raising four children limited my time for art, but I did manage to get acquainted with a medium that kindled the desire to pursue a hobby – painting with soft pastels. A few of my paintings caught the attention of Lynwood Gallery in Baddeck, some of which went on to find homes as far away as Australia. I also squeezed in a few commissions, mostly portraiture, both pet and human.
Art always seemed to come to my aid when it became necessary to help support the family. From creating a line of greeting cards to starting a website design company that is still going strong after 25 years!
The Work
Growing up in the city, annual excursions to cottage country nurtured a deep appreciation for the peace and tranquility of the countryside. Alone in the backseat I gazed wistfully at the passing idyllic scenes with their grassy meadows and graceful elms. Later while visiting various stately homes of friends around Toronto, or attending ballet workshops in a turreted old Victorian, I would be suddenly captured by a dark and moody landscape in gilded frame and be lulled into a quiet respite by the serene, atmospheric, etherial glow. The emotion evoked by these experiences, dotted throughout my life’s journey, have been etched on my very being.
It wasn’t until I began to revisit my creative practice over the past few years that I learned that there is a collective name for paintings of that sort: Tonalism. I began to search out and pour over hundreds of examples available online, works by such tonalist artists as George Inness, J. Francis Murphy, Charles Warren Eaton, Charles Melville Dewey, and Dennis Sheehan, and each time, thrilled that I could experience an immediacy of emotional response and transported once again into that quiet respite.
Through my paintings I hope to evoke that same response in those who view them.
Some influences along my journey include Maxfield Parish, for his unique use of ‘golden hour’ lighting, and most of the American tonalists, especially George Inness (1825 – 1894), and contemporary tonalist Dennis Sheehan.
In the past two years I’ve changed mediums twice, from soft pastels to acrylics, mostly for health-related reasons. Now, I’ve moved on to oils, but I’m so happy to have discovered ‘water-miscible’ oil paint. No turps, no toxic fumes, just the wonderful buttery properties of oil paint but with water cleanup!
Active Memberships
- Annapolis Region Community Arts Council (ARCAC)
- Visual Arts Nova Scotia (VANS)
- Federation of Canadian Artists (Juried Active Member)
Exhibitions & Events
- Solo Exhibition March 2023 ARCAC ArtsPlace Mym Gallery – Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia
- Members Exhibition 2022 ARCAC ArtsPlace Main Gallery – Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia
- Paint the Town Festival & Online Auction 2022 – Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Members Exhibition 2021 – ARCAC/ArtsPlace Main Gallery Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, Canada
- A Lot of Art – ARCAC/ArtsPlace Gallery Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Lynwood Gallery – Baddeck, Nova Scotia