Artist’s Statement

I love the physical aspect of painting, the messing with painting materials, the physical activity of doing. I make many messes and throw away lots of experiments but rejoice in completing a piece of work that satisfies my soul. Then comes the difficult part of deciding whether it meets the criteria of art - the formal arrangement of lines and color, and the intrinsic meaning that is intended. This is a necessary part of creating a visual image that works emotionally and formally. Knowing something of the history of painting helps, though, because there is a huge body of art available for comparison. In the end, however, it has to be my decision whether to expose it for public scrutiny and to accept that reaction.

The historical relationship our native People have with the land excites me. I am a believer in God's creation of this wonderful world and am an avid environmentalist. I find these aspects of my life greatly influence the subject matter of my paintings. I am particularly inspired by Emily Carr's spiritual connection to the land.

My connection to the physical landscape is very strong so there is an aspect of realism in my work, but I always hope that there is also an element of lyricism and beauty in what I produce.

Biography

I have been painting most of my life since high school. I attended the Banff School of fine Arts upon graduation. Over the following twenty-five years I attended university and business college, married and gave birth to three children and painted at weekend workshops. Upon moving to Vancouver in 1975, I returned to the University of British Columbia and completed a BFA in the fine arts studio program. For the next ten years I painted in various studio spaces in Vancouver and have now retired to Vernon, BC.

My paintings are in permanent collections in the Richmond Art Gallery, the BC Assessment Authority in Victoria BC, the Grand Forks Gallery and in private collections in Canada, the United States and Europe. My paintings are shown currently at Gallery Odin on Silver Star Mountain, Nadine's Fine Art & Frames in Vernon BC and at the Vernon Art Gallery in the Art Rental Program.