Painting feels a part of me like breathing. I don't think about it, I just do it. I can't remember when I began painting. It wasn't some impressive gift like the Kiln. It was likely a borrowed paintbrush, a frayed brush from a drugstore watercolor kit or classroom art class in elementary school. I wasn't drawn to the crude method of finger painting. I wanted realism and the ability to portray my subject in a way that captured my eye. I was always impressed by the challenge of not copying a National Geographic photograph as many in my circles did. I wanted to create my own art. I love
details and those tiny brush strokes. I love color. Even in the darkest corners of a painting, no Black pigment lives. A purple or a red, a blue or a yellow prevail to teach the eye that life is not black and white, but deep hues and reflections of color with the atmosphere of light. I learned that light in a Canadian summer is different from a morning in Florida, or an afternoon in California. The clouds speak in different ways and the light changes with its surroundings. I love graphite drawings and to me there is an intimacy in each line carefully placed. This lead me to discover Science Illustration and the discovery of the natural world in detail. Combining the two gave me such enormous peace and satisfaction that could not found anywhere else in my life. It is something just for me. Hours evaporated with a canvas, no formal training - just blending colors until I found what I was searching for again and again. With this pursuit I learned photography on the back of my brother's interest and his darkroom. The simple box camera made in school provided enough images to encourage me further. I made the commitment then to never use anyone else's images but my own for inspiration.
Art school provided exposure to new techniques and materials, but I found it restricting in inspiration. Being graded, asked to create subjects of no interest to me was a challenge.
I took this desire to learn and dare to conform all the way from Toronto, Canada to San Diego, California to pursue Animation. A union of Sculpture and Painting. Movement and creativity was explosive for me. I couldn't get enough,, until I did..sitting at a computer for 14 hour days took its toll on me and I found my way back to "Low Tech" Art with a newfound appreciation for the world of "High Tech" Art and its mastery. I would return to it now if the programs and software stayed the same, but as we know the platforms change often and unless you keep up, its difficult to jump back into it.
For me Art takes courage. If you want to do something, a bigger canvas, a delicate sculpture or even new techniques ~ you have to break out of the safety of your norm. Outdoor adventures took me to places that expanded my Artistic ability and developed the courage I needed to get me here. From solo backpacking mountain trips, to whitewater kayaking through California, Commercial Kelp harvesting to Horse training..I've had a lot of misadventures but discovered I don't give up, not ever. In the end I always end up with a smile. Joy found.
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