EarthsWhisper

I have displayed artistic abilities throughout childhood and was lucky enough to attend a high school where art was offered throughout those critical years of artistic development. I had several good teachers and a strong support network that encouraged me to pursue my abilities so attending York University to obtain a BFA in studio painting and drawing seemed logical, where I also hosted two solo art shows and was involved in several group exhibitions. I finished this program in 1998 feeling very disillusioned with the direction my art was taking so I stopped producing significant artworks to pursue a career in horticulture hoping that this might give me a chance to find a new direction. I did indeed, and I was able to develop a deep connection to the natural world through the the care of plants and trees and it is this deep affinity with nature has become the main subject of my art through the depiction of plants, orchids, and the landscape.

It had appeared that the Art Spirit had completely left me while I concentrated on learning other things to further my own personal development, but when my horticulture work dried up and the global recession developed, then I was left with an overwhelming desire to begin creating anew.

I have experience with many forms of media including oil, encaustic, watercolor, and acrylic painting; as well as with drawing media such as charcoal, graphite, colored pencil and pastels. However now I focus on solvent free oil painting and soft pastels since I prefer to create in color without endangering the environment, myself or people around me. My favorite supports for oil painting are 10 or 12 oz stretched canvas and linen mounted on cradled hardboard; and sanded textured surfaces for pastel.

My influences for the landscape painting are many including artists such as J.M.W Turner, John Constable, Gustave Courbet, Isaak Levitan, Ivan Shishkin, Albert Bierstadt, George Inness, and Emily Carr.

Other influences include contemporary artists such as Andy Goldsworthy, Richard Schmid, Clyde Aspevig, Jim Wilcox, Scott Christensen and Alexey Adamov.