My journey as an artist began as a child when my mother gifted me some sketchbooks, pencils, pencil crayons, brushes, water colour paints and “How to Draw” books as a way to occupy some of my time. I instantly loved how I was able to create images of other places, characters and people, often imaginary. I was very drawn into the imagery of Fairy Tales and how they combined reality with imagination. Comic book art and their stories were also an inspiration. Art creation was a therapeutic, playful experience for me. By the end of high school I had a collection of accumulated sketch books.

In University (York University-Toronto) I started off as a music specialist but soon changed to an interdisciplinary degree program where I was able to take courses in visual arts, theatre and dance as well. It was here I discovered and explored new art media, symbolic and conceptual art, as well as world art approaches. I also discovered how all the arts overlap each other and sometimes explore this in my work. While teaching Visual Art in high school (Orillia) for almost 30 years, I taught various techniques and approaches while encouraging personal expression. In my own creations I keep a spirit of playfulness regardless of the medium, story or subject matter. Through the exploration of different media and combinations of them I have discovered new images that embrace a whimsical nature. 🖌 Nancy