I was raised on a Manitoba farm and worked alongside my parents in the outdoors where I experienced the cold piercing winter winds, the emerging of buds in the spring, hot summer days and the beauty of autumn as its colours unfolded in the hills surrounding our home.  Perhaps it was these natural elements that became part of my core so that when I began collecting artworks, I was drawn to landscapes especially those of my prairie roots.

With a busy career as a teacher and raising a family, I did not turn to painting until the 1990's when we lived in northern Manitoba in a small community with a group committed to promoting the arts.  Pauline Braun, an artist then living in Thompson, came to Snow Lake to teach an art class and I was hooked.  When I relocated to Winnipeg, I began searching out art classes and have since taken many at Forum Art, Artists Emporium and with individual instructors who have offered classes at community venues.

Presently I paint once weekly with a small group of neighbours in our condo as well as participating in the Charleswood Art Group's studio and plein air sessions.  I am very much an experimenter and enjoy trying new styles, techniques, and materials but find myself drawn to abstract forms using mostly watercolour and acrylics. I also enjoy the challenge of alcohol inks and sketching.

For commission work or to enquire about any of the pieces seen here please contact the artist at dlcruise@shaw.ca   204-291-5070