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Two themes
have run through my life, my love of nature and my love of art.
I am truly blessed to get up everyday and do the two things I
love, and that is observing nature and presenting in a painting,
the awe that I feel. As you will find out, the beginnings of
my art career were so humble, that I can only believe that God
had a plan for my life far greater that I could have ever dreamed
for myself. |
Growing up in Toronto,
Canada, my mother taught me all the names of the flowers in our
modest backyard. It is also where I saw my first spectacular
bird.. The bird with the brilliant yellow-orange feathers framed
with black markings seemed to have an inner light. Although I
was perhaps at preschool age, I remember that sighting of a Baltimore
Oriole, as if it were yesterday.
My family moved to the
United States when I was a teenager, and I graduated from Eastern
Michigan University with a Bachelor of Science degree. Throughout
college I led an elementary age, summer program called "Nature
Adventure". One summer, I taught arts and craft classes
to adults and children at a local art supply store. I would decorate
the windows with the crafts that I had made to encourage others
to buy the art supplies. I placed in the store window the paintings
of birds that I had done on barn wood and driftwood. My backyard
bird feeder was my daily soap opera, and the birds that I observed
there became the inspiration and reference I needed. So often
people came into the store in an attempt to buy the paintings.
| After my
daughter was born, I was looking for a business that I could
do at home to add to the family finances. I tried substitute
teaching, but getting the 5AM phone call and hauling formula
and supplies to a babysitter . . . I just thought there had to
be a better way. Besides, I wanted to stay home with my daughter.
I showed a friend bath puppets that I had designed to wash my
baby. I was considering marketing them and I asked her what she
thought. She said these few kind words, "if I could paint
like you, that's what I would do". All my life I have been
able to draw well but I never considered that I could possibly
make a living at it. |
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After successfully
selling my paintings of birds on barn wood, I decided that it
would always be a craft, so I began painting watercolor paintings
on watercolor paper. For the next 30 plus years I would teach
myself to paint. Along the way I have published over 80 limited
edition prints and many have sold out. I have also licensed my
work for many commercial products including limited edition collector's
plate for Lenox Collections. Eventually I was asked to design
dinnerware for Lenox fine china. A pattern called "Winter
Greetings" took off like a rocket. Each Christmas season
thousands of collectors and nature lovers are
dining and decorating with this popular pattern. I would go on
to design numerous other patterns including the latest one of
fruit and blossoms, called "Orchard in Bloom". |
In
2002, I was asked to create an ornament
for the White House Christmas tree. Later I would recreate
it for a segment broadcast on Home and Garden Television. Over
the years I have been asked to design bird posters for the Department
of Natural Resources of seven states. My illustrations for the
children's book, "The Far Flung Adventures of Homer the
Hummer" helped to tell the story of the amazing and
perilous year in the life of a ruby-thoated hummingbird.
In 2005 we moved to west
Michigan ,and I soon realized that I would spend the rest of
my life painting my new neighbors. The areas woods, waters, and
meadows have all the right ingredients to foster the next generation
of birds. Walking everyday helps to center me on the natural
world. Every time I step out the door or look out the window,
I am
reminded of God's greatness.
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