About
My art practice is based in working in traditional materials with nature being a source of inspiration. Fortunate to have the early life experience of spending time outdoors where play fostered creativity, the practice extends to my work as an artist. Much of the work I do is in response to the natural world where shape, form, line, and light are in constant interplay. I'm naturally drawn to the diversity of working in a range of materials.
I've had some work in exhibitions and did commissioned dog portraits for over five years where I was selected by the Purina Animal Hall of Fame, to paint portraits of the dogs honoured each year that were recognized for their heroic acts.. My art education prior to that was mainly driven by a desire to learn traditional painting techniques and included Ontario College of Art and Design, Toronto School of Art and The Art Students League in New York. My work in wire, concrete and sculpture, has been self-taught.
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Current creative work includes working as a scenic painter for film and television and more recently my own gardening business focused on promoting ecology-friendly gardens. I see gardening as an opportunity to encourage nature-friendly spaces by using native plants that support pollinators and insects. Studies in nature include the Ontario Master Naturalist Program, stewardship training with Pollinator Partnership of Canada and on-going interest in entomology.
My experience as an art instructor began as a way to share my love of drawing with others and has led to working in a range of capacities from vulnerable youth to private schools and adults. I had the experience of learning to develop programs through the course of study Learning Though the Arts (LTTA) which led to delivering curriculum aligned workshops in schools. Over the years the content of the classes I've led has changed but the focus has remained the same - to inspire in others the spark of creative joy. It is my hope that the new series of nature-based programs I'm offering, will instil in others this same spark though with a deeper connection and appreciation for the natural world.
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GROUP EXHIBITIONS
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Art Works Art Gallery, Toronto, 2011, 2016
Word on the Street, Toronto, 2009
Gladstone Hotel, Toronto 2007
St. Clair Art Walk and Studio Tour, Toronto, 2004, 2007
Galleria Basil, Bucharest, Romania 2007
Praxis Gallery, Toronto 2006
OSA, John B. Aird Gallery, Toronto 2006
Woofstock Festival, Toronto 2006
Shelter Interiors, Toronto 2004
Here and Now Gallery, Toronto 2003
The Well, Junction Arts Festival, Toronto 2003
Distillery Historic District Art Exhibition, Toronto 2003
John B. Aird Gallery, Toronto 2003
The Art Students League Salon, New York, NY 2002
Praxis Gallery, Toronto 1999
Blue Mountain Arts Foundation, Collingwood, Ontario 1999
Living Arts Centre, Mississauga, Ontario 1999
New Century Artists Gallery, New York, NY 1999
Welland Historic Museum, Welland, Ontario 1998
White Mountain Academy of Art, Elliot Lake, Ontario 1997
A Space Gallery, Toronto 1997
Ward-Nasse Gallery, New York, NY 1997
