I was supposed to be a scientist, and was well on my way in botany and chemistry when first art and then teaching took over my life. For forty-seven years I taught every kind of art, craft, music, theatre, English, math, and then worked in counselling and administration until 2002 when I developed an integrated arts program called Artspeak for high school students in Sunrise School Division. 

Artspeak was the most useful and rewarding thing I have done in life, bringing together students from different high schools to play in art, music, theatre, storytelling, writing, and more. For four days and three nights students were in residence where other artists and I worked on themes and made discoveries. In assessments I had the privilege of pointing out all the wonderful things students didn’t know about themselves. At the same time I grew as an artist myself, having time to explore and create.  I wrote and led 98 of these programs after semi-retirement in 2007 until finally fully retiring in 2022.

My art (and life) comes from lasting images, memories and experiences in teaching, floristry, church music, Rainbow Stage and Opera chorus work, gardening-my true love, art workshops across US and Canada, design studies, learning style research, attending arts performances, leading art workshops, and most of all people I have met along the way.

Art for me is connecting all the possibilities of art mediums with the amazing world of abstract imagination and design on surfaces that provide a place for colour and texture to play. What will emerge from that joyful mess?

Art has become my way of connecting with people and developing lifelong relationships. What a privilege to have someone want to own something you have created and include that in their life!