◄ Tracadie Beach, PEI
chalk and allows one to build on it and blend colours until it has a creamy end result. I also paint in acrylic on driftwood. I have used the mediums of oil and water colour but am “home” with chalk pastels.
a fresh catch of some smelts she was preparing to fry. They were so beautiful, all so different, with amazing iridescent colours. I couldn’t resist.
Q. Where can the public find your work?
My works can be found at The Dunes Gallery, The Eptek Exhibition Centre Gallery, The PEI Crafts Council Gallery, and The Kensington Art Co-op Gallery.
Q. What inspires you?
My inspiration as a child came from the work of my Aunt Ruth who sadly passed before I was born. I was transfixed by her artwork, of which my parents had two paintings. It amazed me that you could take a blank canvas and paint a landscape which enabled the viewer to step into and travel down a road or into the woods way beyond that flat board. It fascinated me and I was hooked.
Q. Do you offer commissions or custom work?
I do receive some commission work and custom art requests.
Q. How long have you been creating artwork?
Q. What connection do you see between creating art and healing? I believe all art evokes a feeling from the creator of that art. My chalk pastel landscapes in particular have, I’ve been told, been hung at the bottom of someone's stairs to be viewed each morning, evoking a feeling of calm at the start of a busy day. They have been hung in rooms where people feel anxious to help calm them down. They have taken people into the scene and away from their present state of stress. I only became aware of this through stories people have shared with me. I had no idea. I was only trying to depict the feeling the scene had given me. Q. What do you recommend to someone who would like to become more creative? I think everyone is creative. In hosting a small class in my home and at Seniors College for years, I have seen people with no artistic experience blossom with the most surprising revelations of awakened talent. It is a joy to now be part of this, assisting them to realize their potential. They all have their own style. It is such a lovely revelation to witness these unique styles emerge!
I won my first art contest at five years of age in kindergarten. I filled a huge paper with the sun, two girls turning a skipping rope, a two-wheeler bike parked with a kick stand, grass and trees. It was displayed at The Ontario College of Art. My Mom saved it behind the piano until it deteriorated!
Q. What is your favourite subject to create?
My favourite subject is the beauty, tranquility and serenity of this Island. Before cell phones I always carried my camera, stopping to snap a photo anywhere I might be taken in, facing a grand view to paint. Q. What do you love most about being creative? What I love most about painting is the challenge to put the special feeling I have from the stunning scene before me. I didn’t realize I was actually doing this, when people would tell me that my artwork was calming, soothing and serene. This is in fact why I called my business "Nature’s Healing Art." If nature is healing, as we know it is, then my art is also healing.
I began selling my work in 1981.
Q. Have you always felt the desire to paint and draw?
I have always drawn and painted, drawing food for my Dad, setting the paper in front of his place at the table as he returned from work. I recall one being a bowl of chicken with rice soup, with the spoon and a glass of water. My grade eight art teacher encouraged me and my parents always did as well. My high school art teacher was so very supportive over those years, recognizing my passion for art and challenging me in many directions.
Q. Do you have a favourite piece?
Q. What is your preferred medium(s)?
I have so many favourite pieces. One in particular is the one called “Smelt Secrets”. A friend sent me a photo of
My preferred medium is chalk pastel on Sennelier sanded pastel paper or carte pastel, from France. It grips the
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