Patron Sponsor:
“I live on Vancouver Island in BC, Canada. From pristine waters, craggy mountains, to lush rainforest, I have unlimited access for inspiration and am in awe of it. Slow looking, forest bathing and listening to nature’s song are my experiences in daily life – and happy to share this journey with my husband, Chris.
“I create with a variety of installations including watercolor, acrylic and pen ink drawing. I learned to use an abstract medium of alcohol ink. Its unpredictable nature of the inks excites my imagination to delve into a style that was unconscious with dream-like elements. I learned that realism is something I had to free from my hands and let my mind’s eye take over a whole new dimension – Abstracts. That statement validates me as an artist and a master of adaptations in art and in life.
“I am mostly self taught with some educational background in fine arts at North Island College and have taken several pop up art classes. My pieces have traveled to numerous shows in the US and Canada while they hang on walls in many countries.
“The mind’s eye is a powerful tool. Imagine having limited vision where your brain has to memorize nature’s design and colors. I put that into practice every time I want to paint. Currently using alcohol ink as my main choice of medium, I bring the colors to life first by manipulating the inks all over the substrate with a loose design using a straw to move the colors into a rough design. Once dried, the fun begins, I see magic developing onto the paper showing me the possibility of what it might become. Details are painstakingly slow using ink and alcohol, it is hard to control, quick drying and take a bit of creativity to manipulate the inks – using recycled plastic, sponges, textured papers, brushes, and straws are my main implements. In some pieces, I add texture and luster to enhance my design. Interestingly, the piece “Light Perception” was created mainly with my eyes closed so I can use my mind’s eye to guide my hand with intuitive strokes, as if I were painting in a lucid dream. I was so pleased with the result of this experiment, it gives me hope to carry on, even in darkness, I will create art. This is resilience.
“Having progressive blindness gives me the opportunity to learn new skills with adaptation all by trial, experimentation and technology.
“My goal as an artist is to break down the stigma of blindness, one brushstroke at a time – we as artists can bring in a different perspective by expanding your vision of style and design.”
