Welcome
I am an artist living in Hudson, Quebec. The focus of my artwork is plein air landscape painting. Nature is forever providing me with inspiration; creative expression is my passion.
Artist’s Statement
For me, the greatest pleasure in creating art is being able to express my deep appreciation of nature and beauty spontaneously and “in the moment”. I almost always paint landscapes, whether in watercolour or pastel, “en plein air” and find inspiration in the shapes, colours and light values that nature displays. I also enjoy painting portraits and figures from the live model, equally finding inspiration in the beauty and variety of the human face and form. I paint intuitively, typically without prior sketching for landscape paintings. My artwork is representational, rich in colour and painterly.
Biography
I have always had a passion for art and from a young age onward, have experienced joy in drawing and painting. I can still vividly recall my excitement at discovering finger-painting in kindergarten, at creating a work of art from a blank page. Even my kindergarten teacher noted on my first report card that “her artwork is exceptionally good”! My education took me in a different direction, into scientific research and completion of a doctorate degree in pharmacology at the University of Toronto. Yet even during my graduate school years, I found an outlet for artistic expression by attending a weekly art class at the Ontario College of Art, where I first met Chinkok Tan who has become a much appreciated mentor ever since.
“These days, I continue to balance a scientific career with new explorations in art. “
Art Education
• 1985 –1987 : Studied watercolour painting with Chinkok Tan at the Ontario College of Art, Toronto.
• Studied portraiture with Gerald Smith in Ottawa (1990, 1996) and Max Stiebel in Montreal (2001 – 2003).
• Plein air pastel workshops with Albert Handell in Santa Fe, New Mexico (2003), with Jack Pardue in Montreal (2005) and the Outer Banks of North Carolina (2007), and with Michael Chesley Johnson in New Brunswick (2006, 2008).
• Plein air landscape painting watercolour workshops with Chinkok Tan in St. Andrews and Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick (1988 – 2008).
Associations
AHA (Artistes Hudson Artists) artisteshudsonartists.com
BAA (Baltic Artists Association of Montreal)
EKKT (Society of Estonian Artists in Toronto) www.ekkt.org
PSEC (Pastel Society of Eastern Canada) www.pastelsec.com
Collections
My paintings are found in private collections in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Deep River, New Brunswick, North Carolina, Estonia and Sweden. I also exhibit my work in group and solo shows.
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