About the artist
It is the inner world of feeling and energy I seek capture in my paintings.
It is our solitary private world of feeling and energy I seek to make visible. Our lives are spent in our thoughts together with raw emotions. This is the human condition. These complex emotions transcend words and this informs my work. Dramatic figures capture a fleeting passing moment. They are alone in a field of colour that tells a story, an animated emptiness that resonates with our unspoken inner emotional world.
My process begins with an imagined figure that captures a vivid energy and emotion. I ‘see’ the painting to begin the creative process and am drawn to the truth of body language - I photograph myself to capture the emotive state. I choose images with an undercurrent of pain - outside of judgement good or bad- as themes of the human experience. The paintings are planned in detail including sketches, pose variations and researching a full colour palette - often inspired by contemporary PANTONE Fashion Palettes. I paint the figure all at once using high-pigment oils. The background colour exploration seeks to exalt the emotional pitch of the painting and create a storyline, engaging the viewer in a moment of recognized emotion.
I grew up in Burlington and earned my Honors B.A. in Fine Art at the University of Guelph. I now live in Hamilton and built my backyard studio following a 30+ year career supporting youth mental health - and thinking about how people feel. I paint full time. I find inspiration in the private everyday moments when we are struck by an unexpected surge of emotion that resonates with our shared human condition.
My work has been exhibited in a number of Toronto and local galleries including the Art Gallery Of Hamilton. Show highlights feature inclusion in both national and international shows, as well as an exhibition in Tuscany. I hope to inspire others to appreciate the unspoken emotions of the human condition that unite us.
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Recent Artist Residency: La Macina Di San Cresci, Tuscany, Italy September 23- October 7th
Current Show:
December 6th - January 11th, 2025. SWARM, Hamilton Artists Inc., 155 James St. N., Hamilton. Group show.
November 16 - December 13th, 2024: Jackalope Gallery, Toronto, ON. Group show. Online to Feburary 16th, 2025
November 30, 2024 - January 8th, 2025: The Back Alley Gallery, Group Show, Hamilton, ON
2024:
2024: La Macina Di San Cresci, Greve, Italy. October group show.
2024: Back Alley Gallery, Hamilton, ON. September 6th - October 8th. Group show
2024: 'Periwinkle' Show at the MERIT Brewing Company, 107 James St. N., Hamilton, ON, June 14 to August 11th
2024: Northern Contemporary Gallery, Toronto, ON. 'All The Small Things' Group Show June 6-18th
2024: Social Space pop-up art event, 8 Cottage Avenue, Hamilton, ON. May 3-5th
2024 John Mann Gallery, 13th Street Winery, St. Catherines. Square Foot Group Show, February 10- April 13, 3 @ 12” x 12” paintings featured.
2024: Dundas Valley School Of Art Annual Auction, April 1-7th, 3 paintings featured
2023: Hamilton Artists Inc. Group Exhibition, December 1 - January 13, 2024
2023 Supercrawl - Hamilton Arts + Music: Monday Press, 288 James St. North Group Show
2023 Dundas Valley School of Art, Dundas, ON: 52nd Art Auction, Group Show
2022 Art Gallery of Hamilton, Hamilton, ON: Group Exhibition ‘The Bigger Picture’, September - December 2022)Current:
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Toronto exhibition highlights include:
Toronto Outdoor Art Show for several years
Gallery 312, Joint show
The Work Gallery, Solo show
Boise Gallery, Joint show
Teadora Art Gallery,
Meat Market Gallery, Group show
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Hammer Gallery, Solo show (2)
Lance Court Gallery (Burlington), Solo show.
Bauhaus Gallery, Solo show
Grant Gallery, Solo show
Le Petit Poulet Gallery, Solo show
Tivoli Gallery, Group show
Art Gallery of Hamilton, Group show
Burlington Cultural Centre, Group show
Terra Nova Gallery, Group show
Planetree Gallery (Burlington), Group show