My mother is an artist. She continually studies and challenges herself with technique and subject. Growing up, arts and crafts were a constant at our summer cottage, and my sisters and I used anything we could find to create mini-sculptures - smooth rocks, driftwood, feathers, moss, even beer caps. Later, the whole family went through a needle-point phase, and I became obsessed with colour and texture - an obsession that still reflects in my work.
I didn't start to draw and paint until ten years ago. It was during a visit with my mom that she showed me a technique called gesture drawing, and I was hooked. Later, I used watercolour to fill in the sketches; these were early versions of the style I still use today.
My parents always filled our lives with music, dance, theatre, and art. They hung Norvel Morisseau and other aboriginal art everywhere in the house, which I loved, along with other artists like Matisse, Aubrey Beardsley, and Peter Max. Notice the black lines around my subjects?
Today I am influenced by fashion photographs, fabric, and nature. My favourite subjects are people - preferably perfect faces and bodies that become distorted and uglified with my brush. Pouring colour out on canvas is cathartic, as is the manipulation of beauty. Some have said this is a backlash at the world of modeling and acting.
Considering I've only had two art shows, the business of selling my work has been very successful. The shows have been more like blow-out parties than subdued and cerebral events where potetntial buyers observe 'the work'. I like it that way - art is a party. Please view the gallery and see for yourself.
