Blog

It’s hard to explain how green the greens are here… and hard to capture in just a photo. I think it has to do with the northern light… especially in the evenings. The greens simply glow…

“Colours are the smiles of nature.”

I’ve been away on holiday for the past month… In the beautiful, southern Ontario countryside, with big open skies, farms and quaint little villages. I stayed in a lovely house in a forest clearing and every day I went for a walk in the woods…

Spring is in the air and our next show is fast approaching. Stay tuned for more information about our upcoming show (New Beginnings). Here’s a (quick) little preview of what I’m working on…

…and then, I have nature and art and poetry, and if that is not enough, what is enough?
~ Vincent van Gogh

It's February and I'm already noticing the longer, lighter days. I feel like we've rounded the corner... Soon we'll see the beginning of Spring with all its promise of new life and hopeful dreams...

As the year 2021 comes to a close and we transition into another year full of life’s uncertainties, I find myself thinking about what matters most…

“And you just had some kind of mushroom - And your mind is moving slow - Go ask Alice - I think she’ll know...”

Pansies are one of the first flowers of spring and I’m seeing them everywhere… I’ve always thought they were such pretty flowers… Little charmers.

Sometimes I prefer to live in my imagination. It’s a dream world where stories morph from one into the next and anything is possible…

A few years ago (13 to be exact) I moved into my new condo in the Lower Lonsdale area. The walls were bare and they needed some art…

My new painting is done! This magical forest is abundant with wild blueberries, deer and other little creatures... (perhaps you can see some in the painting?...)

A few years ago I lived in a little cottage in the woods. The cottage was surrounded by trees… Great, big grandfather trees. It was very dark in the winter evenings as I made my way home through the woods…

Along with my word for the year my symbol for the year is this painting, Hope for the Flowers. It reminds me of the quote: “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” - Desmond Tutu.

In this painting I used primarily black, white and grey tones, adding a just a few colours (yellow, blue, purple) creating a limited palette.

Out of the tangled darkness, the flowers rise up towards the light…

This past year has been a huge challenge in patience and perseverance (among other things), so why not (I asked myself) start another big, intricate painting?

I don’t know why I do this to myself… But obviously I like a challenge.

I like to set big goals and I don’t like to give up…

For the past ten years or so I’ve come up with a word for the year ahead. It isn’t a resolution, but rather, more of an intention... Something to move towards, or something I want to bring into my life. The interesting thing is, there’s always something unexpected that comes from it. So I create my word with no expectations of outcome...

A made a little video tour of my studio, sharing my art, projects and creative process...

One day feathers began to appear in my life. They dropped down from the sky to land on my path as I walked, floated gracefully past my window when I looked out, and appeared in the most unexpected places...

We've had many sunny (and hot!) days this summer... And usually around this time of year, as the sunrise comes just a little later each day, and the nights get cooler... I find myself thinking about September and what changes it will bring.

But this year, I want summer to go on just a little bit longer...

It was several years ago, in the summer of 2012, that I designed my first wearable art dress.

One day while creating my "essence art" (a personalized painting), I imagined wearing a print of my art and was inspired to make my painting into a dress. I wanted the dress to be the full size image…

Soul Art® ~ Transitioning the Transition

It’s the middle of summer, in the middle of the year 2020, I’m in-between paintings and projects… And it feels like a good time for a Soul Art Journey.

I had a friend join me in my studio and we went through the process together. I’m calling this session, Transitioning the Transition, as we both travel along through our in-between worlds…

These days it's easy to get swept away with all the external happenings in the world around us... To become fearful of the unknown and to have so many changes thrust upon us...

So now I find it even more important to steal myself away for a few hours of studio time (or nature time!) to keep myself feeling somewhat normal in this fast-changing world.

I love the forest. For me, it’s a mysterious and nurturing place that soothes my mind, body, and soul. When I can’t be in my art studio, creating art, you’ll find me in my forest studio… Being nurtured by nature so I can Dream, Imagine, and Create…

It’s interesting that the word ‘art’ is in the word ‘heart.’

In the state of creation you are so focused in the present moment that problems disappear and you lose track of time and space…

The harder you chase something, the faster you go and the less you’re able to let life meet life. If you’re having difficulty coming up with new ideas, then slow down...

I would have been writing from Iceland today… But, “Life is what happens when you’re making other plans…”

So here I am, in my own studio, for my April ‘Artist in Residence’ program and a voucher from Icelandair for a future journey…

Mt Kaldbakur - oil on artboard on wood panel (8”x10” x5)

The Energy Zone - The Eastern area of Hrísey is said to be full of energy and is considered to be the second most powerful area in Iceland after Mt. Snæfellsjökull Glacier…

I love the changing seasons... A cycle of continuous endings and beginnings.

There's always something to look forward to...

I've been working on some little paintings (very little for me!), and I've been thinking about nature, observation, science and art. Specifically, the science of art…

Views From a Car Window, My Iceland Roadtrip

Many people have asked me what I like most about my time in Iceland. There are so many things... The fantastic landscape and scenery, seeing humpback whales playing in the fjord, riding Icelandic horses along the river to the fjord…