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 found serenity, to experiencing the joy of a home birth, to a ‘back to the land’ chapter where I dabbled in writing and illustrating children’s books… each page contributed to the development 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 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 30 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, ethereal 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!
Awards & Accomplishments
- FAV15% in Bold Brush Competition August 2025
- Honorable mention 2025 Federation of Canadian Artists Water Exhibition for ‘Moondance’ (juried)
- Elected SCA status with the Society of Canadian Artists
- Elected AFCA status with the Federation of Canadian Artists
- FAV15% in Bold Brush Competition June 2025
- FAV15% in Bold Brush Competition May 2025
- Second Place Award for ‘Moonshadow’ at 2024 FCA Toronto Chapter ‘A Slice of Life’ Exhibition, Hamilton,, ON (juried)
- Honorable mention 2024 for ‘Dawn is a Feeling’ at FCA Toronto Spring Kaleidoscope Exhibition, Toronto, ON (juried)
- First Place Award 2023 Federation of Canadian Artists Landscapes Exhibition for ‘Blue Moon’ (juried)
Active Memberships
- Society of Canadian Artists – Elected Member (SCA)
- Federation of Canadian Artists – Elected Associate Member (AFCA)
- FCA Toronto Chapter
- Annapolis Region Community Arts Council (ARCAC)
Exhibitions & Events
- 2025 Annual Small Exhibition (juried) Federation Gallery, Vancouver, BC
- 2025 Canvas Chronicles FCA Toronto juried exhibition, Neilson Park Creative Centre, Toronto, ON
- 2025 ‘AIMAE’ (Annual Internation Mail-in Art Exhibition) Federation Gallery, Vancouver, BC
- 2025 ‘Chapter Challenge’ FCA members online exhibition – Federation of Canadian Artists
- 2025 ‘Medals’ – (juried) FCA elected members exhibition – Federation Gallery, Vancouver, BC
- 2025 ‘Groove’ – ARCAC members exhibition – ArtsPlace, Annapolis Royal, NS
- 2025 ‘Water’ Exhibition – (juried) – Federation Gallery, Vancouver, BC
- 2025 Vancouver Salon Exhibition – (juried) – Federation Gallery, Vancouver, BC
- 2025 ‘heART of the Valley art & artisan show & sale, MacDonald Museum, Middleton, NS
- 2025 ‘Landscapes’ Exhibition – (juried) – Federation Gallery, Vancouver, BC
- 2025 Online Federation Showcase (juried) – Federation of Canadian Artists
- 2025 FCA Toronto: 2025 Open Online Exhibition (juried)
- 2024 ‘Success! Fall’ – (juried) – Federation Gallery, Vancouver, BC
- 2024 ‘A Slice of Life’ – FCA Toronto juried exhibition, Earl’s Court Gallery, Hamilton, Ontario
- 2024 Small Exhibition (juried) – Federation Gallery, Vancouver, BC
- 2024 heART of the Valley Art Show & Sale MscDonald Museum, Middleton, NS
- 2024 Members Exhibition ‘Wild Nature’ ARCAC/ArtsPlace, Annapolis Royal, NS
- 2024 Chapter Challenge (juried exhibition) – Federation of Canadian Artists
- 2024 365 Federation of Canadian Artists Online Exhibition & Calendar Contest (juried)
- 2024 Fine Art & Artisan Auction, Annapolis Royal, NS
- 2024 Federation of Canadian Artists Landscapes Exhibition (juried), Vancouver, BC
- 2024 FCA Toronto Spring Kaleidoscope Exhibition, Toronto, ON (juried – Awarded honorable mention)
- 2024 Federation of Canadian Artists ‘Active Member’ Exhibition (juried)
- 2023 Federation of Canadian Artists ‘Water’ Exhibition (juried) Federation Gallery, Vancouver, BC
- 2023 FCA Toronto – Perspectives Exhibition (juried) – Etobicoke Civic Centre Gallery, Toronto, ON
- 2023 Members Exhibition – Chromatic Explorations – ARCAC/ArtsPlace Gallery Annapolis Royal, N S
- 2023 Landscape Exhibition (Juried) Federation Gallery, Vancouver, BC (Awarded first place)
- 2023 Annual International Mail-In Art Exhibition (juried) Federation Gallery, Vancouver BC
- 2023 Online Exhibition at Federation Gallery, Vancouver BC
- 2023 King’s Theatre Lobby Gallery – Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia
- 2023 365 Online Exhibition at Federation Gallery (Juried), Vancouver BC
- 2023 Solo Exhibition: Tonalism… Alive & Well in Nova Scotia, ArtsPlace, Annapolis Royal
- 2022 Members Exhibition – ARCAC/ArtsPlace Gallery Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, Canada
- 2022 Paint the Town Festival & Online Auction – Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, Canada
- 2021 Members Exhibition – ARCAC/ArtsPlace Gallery Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, Canada
- 2021 A Lot of Art – ARCAC/ArtsPlace Gallery Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, Canada
- 1992-1994 Lynwood Gallery – Baddeck, Nova Scotia
Publications
- Spring 2025 Art Avenue Magazine
- Winter 2024 Art Avenue Magazine
- Summer 2024 Art Avenue Magazine
- Fall 2023 Art Avenue Magazine
- AIMAE 2023