I remember the moment when my small part of the world realized that I had a talent. I was 8 years old and bored with toys. I took out my Childcraft, Nature's Children Book and I turned to the page with the kitten in the pussy willows. I took out my notebook and pencil and started to draw. I drew what I saw. When I was done, I showed my mom. I can still remember the look on her face when she saw it. Not that...oh honey what a cute picture you drew look. She had this look of absolute surprise on her face. I remember her saying something about it being really good but let's face it, I had the attention span of a Grade 2 student so that's about where my attention wandered. But I still remember the feeling of accomplishment and suprise myself..after all it was just a drawing.

So on through the years it goes...my grampa, who was a great watercolor artist (in my eyes at least) tried to help me paint...unfortunately that was not quite so successful. I did continue drawing here and there, to varying degrees of success and failure until about Grade 7 (I think..it's been a while). I don't remember exactly when I got my first sketchbook, I think it was around that time.

My first human subject was Axl Rose. 3 times I drew him. My art teacher this time was the one to be surprised enough to award me a 90% mark on my 3rd attempt. I did the dog off the comic, "For Better or Worse" in Pontallism for an assignment as well, wittly named "Spot".

So on...through my teenage years, drawing became, instead of a shock to those around me, a release of the emotions and thoughts in my head. I drew mostly people, the odd request by a classmate, whatever struck my fancy at the time. But mostly, people. Especially, rock stars.

In about grade 10, I did some ink work. It didn't start out that way, it was just supposed to be a simple sketch, and it started with one small doodle. It turned into something I could be truly proud of. I suprised myself, I didn't know I had it in me but there was that similar feeling of accomplishment.

In my Grade 12 year, I started working with color...yet again surprising myself with what I could do. Shortly after, I began working with acrylic paints and experimenting more with color.

It's been a long time since I have put pencil to paper or paint to canvas with any amount of dedication. Life got in the way, as it does. There is a huge difference between a lonely teen who draws and paints to while away the time until life begins, and an almost middle aged wife and mother of 3. But what that life has taught me is that it will always come back to creativity and art. There is nothing I love to do more than create something out of nothing. It is a part of who I am, and though I may be rusty, it's time to dust off those pencils and brushes and bring a little beauty to the world.

You won't find much of that old work in my online portfolio for one simple reason. It's lost.It was all in a grey folder that contained almost every drawing I have ever done. I guess losing things is just part and parcel of the moving process but I don't think I've ever lost anything so precious and important to me. Just drawings and paintings, I'm sure you're saying right now. Maybe. But they are more than that to me. There was so much more than paper or ink or paint in that folder. On every piece of paper, in every line or blob of paint, there was a little bit of me. A piece of my heart and soul. A memory, an emotion, a second in time frozen forever. It has been a huge stumbling block for me, the loss of something so dear. Like the loss of an old friend. But I will honor it's memory by starting anew and beginning again.

Artist Highlights

• Lives In:    Canada
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