Location: Canada
I come from an artistic family so it’s a gift I inherited. My parents wanted me to have a career in art, so I enrolled in art school in Toronto when I was 18. Two weeks before I was to leave for school, the college in my hometown called with an opening in their aviation program. I have been flying since I was 15 and it’s where my heart was. So, I abandoned art school and took to the skies. Needless to say, my parents weren’t too happy, but they always let me carve my own path. I had been flying since I was 15 and it's where my heart was. I joined the military where I served as an F-18 aircraft mechanic and switched over to pilot, and in my off time I was serving in the fire department as a firefighter. After serving 10 years, I moved into civilian life where I opened a pet store business to support the needs of having 2 Great Danes. After 10 years of running that business, I moved up to the Arctic where I became the Chief Inspector of the Nunavut Liquor Commission and joined the fire department there. I moved south again after 3 years when my boys were heading into school. I found the opportunity to become a personal trainer which led me to opening my own gym and co-authoring a fitness book which reached the Best Sellers list. After 10 years of personal training/gym owner, I retired from the trade. From there I began painting again and found my passion after a long absence from art. I am self-taught and work in acrylics predominantly, but have my hand at pencil drawings and watercolour. I have never taken my art very seriously; it was hobby and a lot of times felt like a chore. I’ve always been a hands-on type of person, so sitting idle at a desk has always been my nemesis, it was like trying to stop a freight train. I’ve always been active in sports and just living life, living in all 4 corners of Canada and everywhere in between. Art flows in my veins and I've found my sweet spot with it, always learning and discovering new ways to bring life to the canvas. I’m really drawn to colour and light and how to make them dance on the canvas in one way or another. Colour and light are an emotional language that as an artist, I try to tap into. That emotional language can elevate and inspire other people and it brings happiness to others when you can share your emotions through your art.
This is a collection of portraits and figurative paintings that have inspired me by nature and wildlife or life events.
“Still the Same Girl Looking Out”
24x36" acrylic glaze on canvas - This is about an older woman who doesn’t see herself as old. Her mind and spirit are young, and she hasn’t let go of her youth. She still feels like the reflection of her younger self, even though her appearance tells a different story. The many scars, triumphs, milestones and loves she has experienced in her lifetime that bares the effects of aging. The swan is symbolic of that beauty still within.
16x20" acrylic glaze on canvas - This was very angelic to me, and I loved the setting and how the two are both gingers. A girl and her dog, what more is there to say.
20x24" acrylic glaze on canvas - A self-portrait. This is all about the things we often sidetrack our daily thoughts with, taking us to better places than the one we’re in at the moment.
36x36" acrylic glaze on canvas - This was all about expressing the glee and joy of a child having a blast under the sprinkler on a hot summer day. It brings me back to my childhood and happy emotions of it.
This painting is about the growth as a person, the man he has become. The wolf is representational of that. He is strong, a leader, resilient, determined, intelligent, studious, spiritual, loyal, and intuitive. We are all connected to nature and our environment, either spiritually, ancestrally, or subliminally. As we grow and mature, we develop characteristics that guide our decisions and our life. We are parallel to wildlife in many ways, and that representation may change as we mature and evolve into our lives.
I wanted to express the relationship between a child and nature, where they are still growing, discovering, evolving, and developing their personality and characteristics. She is still so young and innocent, and afraid of the big world, like that of a rabbit. There is much to learn, see and experience. She still needs the guidance and nurturing of her parents, but she will grow big, and so will her dreams. As she grows, she will grow into a strong, independent woman and her characteristics that run parallel with nature will change. Perhaps she will be that of the strong and fierce elephant that can barrel through anything to achieve her goals. Or maybe she soars like the eagle with laser focus and a beauty and grace like no other. Only she can determine her path. Only she can uniquely harness her powers.
I had this quirky vision of this bumble bee flying through a bubblegum bubble and it just intrigued me so much I had to do it. It's about fun, excitement, surprises and how anything can happen.
Here you can see anything I've done relating to animals, birds and nature connections. My intent is to express a beauty in every creature we share our planet with. I'm captivated by their purity, beauty, power, innocence, meekness and intelligence. They deserve a higher respect and place in our daily world, and we often take them for granted and disregard their place they call home. This is my way of keeping them in the foreground as a reminder that they are disappearing and need our attention.
I fell in love with this horse and his scratching position. He's a gorgeous Palomino coloured quarter horse from Germany that gets pampered to his fullest. I'm drawn into unique compositions where sometimes you have to stand back and take a deeper look into the finished product. It brings the viewer in to let them be a part of the painting.
– Foxes and barns just go hand in hand and I wanted to bring to life the solitude of the hunt and the need to protect it. With the sunlight peeking through the barn doors casting shadows amongst the bales of hay, it was a perfect hideaway.
I just liked the colours and the light in this one, my two favourite things. I wanted to be sure to transcribe the softness of feathers and the intense coral colour that these birds have, while showing the brilliance of the reflective sun off the feathers. This was a happy time painting.
The formidable stance and glare of this magnificent beast drew me in, and I’ve been wanting to do a really large piece for some time now. So I shoved intimidation aside and dove in. I love how such a fierce animal can show such an inquisitive and soft demeaner and I hope I have captured that for your viewing.
I wanted to capture the beauty of horses running in the surf, there is such power and freedom when you watch them run.
I was captured by this little fellow out looking for food on a very blistery day in our Canadian winter. I am so amazed at the resilience and survivability of animals in adverse weather conditions. I deeply respect their cunning, natural instincts and their ability to keep going. Even though the environment around them is fierce, they still display their never-ending beauty.
A gorgeous little blue bird with such enormous colour, grabbed my attention enough to want to capture it on canvas. This is the first of a series of 9 songbirds.
“Double Ginger”
“Daydreams”
“The Sprinkler”
“Innate Instincts”
“Between Chores”
“Just Passing Through!”
“Dennis Has an Itch”
“Dinner Hideaway”
“Pink Fluff”
“The Guardian”
“In The Surf”
“Winters' Ravage”
“Indigo Bunting”
