The time in between significant life events and milestones is filled with memories and faded, invisible moments. These times are usually forgotten and we are unable to recall the experiences that we live. When I travel along the West Coast from place to place, the beauty in between destinations is stunning. Often I will pull over to photograph or paint plein air and enjoy the adventure of exploring the coastline. Searching for material to compose landscapes changes the purpose of my travel and the importance is no longer on the destination but is actually the parts along the way. Seeing the moments in between gives me a connection to the landscape and a feeling of profound calm. It is the beauty of the landscape that I search for and discover on these excursions and when I find it, I enjoy the moment and recall this emotional feeling when I am painting the canvas back in my studio.

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I do not follow a mentor but instead choose to carve my own path, free from influences and the direction of others. Artists that I admire are the traditional masters, John Constable, JMW Turner, Courbet, Lawren Harris and Emily Carr. Artist, Louise Bourgeois created art to survive, to understand emotion and pain; this relates to my creative process in a similar way because art provides me with an understanding for my visual imagery. Art gives my life balance and once I have completed an image I can walk away [art for art's sake]. It is beauty I desire in my work and once I visualize an idea then I can move on the next canvas.

 

A whole new layer of meaning: as a professional landscape artist I draw my main source of inspiration from the pristine beauty of our West Coast. Preserving this natural untouched wilderness is important. Recently, I began visiting the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s protected lands. I have acquired a stronger sense of how majestic and inspiring these areas are. Capturing what I see visually in my paintings gives me the chance to share areas of our country that very few have the chance to visit. These artworks hold images of land that will always remain beautiful, raw and untouched. I am extremely proud to support the Nature Conservancy of Canada and I contribute a part of my sales to fundraise and make a difference. My personal goal is to preserve an acre/year.