I grew up on a grain and cattle farm in south western Manitoba. Our farm was in a beautiful location along the banks of the Boyne river near Carman. I am one of five children and my younger days were spent playing with kittens in the barn, riding horses or following dad around as he did chores. Country girl at heart and just a little bit tomboy. I am grateful to have grown up on that beautiful farm and I believe it has influenced my love for painting landscapes and wildlife.

But when I finished highschool, I couldn’t wait to head to the big city. I got a job at Great-West Life and stayed with them for 42 years. During those 42 years, I had numerous different jobs. From drafting contracts, to trouble shooting a software product used by our customers, at a time when personal computers were the new thing. And finally as a business analyst working with IT on our websites. 

I have always had an interest in art, but only ever dabbled in it while working and raising our family. When our two boys were young, I did folk art for a few years, with the help of my handy husband who would build the projects I would paint. But then work and family got busier and art fell to the sidelines. 

Quite a few years before I retired, my sister had given me a watercolor kit as a gift, and so when I retired and had time on my hands, I dug out that watercolor set and started to dabble. But I didn’t get very serious about it until the pandemic happened and stay at home orders were in place. I took online watercolor classes, watched you tube tutorials, and spent a lot of time simply practicing. I started with watercolor but I also love to sketch, paint with pastels and more recently, acrylics.  I try to spend some time almost everyday making art.

After the pandemic, I applied to join the Charleswood Art Group. I didn’t know it yet, but I had found my peeps! This amazing group of artists made me feel welcome and at home. They inspire me, encourage me and support me. I have grown as an artist thanks to this group.

What I appreciate the most about my art journey is how I see the world differently now. It has taught me to see the beauty all around us. From the watchful and soulful eyes of an animal, to how the sun reflects off the water. I now pay more attention to the colors and cloud formations in the sky, the beauty in a sunset, or how the leaves of a tree change as the wind blows through them.

I have a favorite art quote by Thomas Merton.

´Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time’

So true for me… I have found my creative self but I can also totally lose myself while in the middle of a drawing or painting.