My artistic journey began as a second act.  After retiring from a career in fashion and then textiles, I found a studio on the Lachine Canal in the St. Henri district of Montreal and began pursuing my lifelong dream of becoming an artist.  Having taken courses at the Visual Art Centre and workshops over the years, I am largely self taught.

While my subject matter has been diverse, including portraits, animals and nature, my focus in the past several years has been larger scale contemporary florals.  Working primarily in oil I explore the relationship between colour and shape, reducing each bloom to its essential structure.  My paintings begin with photographs that I take myself, allowing for an intimate connection before translating the image onto canvas.  Scale is central to my practice by enlarging familiar forms to create immersive, contemplative experiences.  Colour functions as both structure and emotion, giving each painting immediacy and quiet strength.

I'm related to the 19th century Dutch landscape painter Andreas Schelfhout and while my work is distinctly contemporary and minimalist, I feel a meaningful connection through DNA to that artistic lineage, a shared sensitivity to atmosphere and a belief in the enduring power of landscape and nature, continuing across generations.