About

THE OCEAN MEANS THE WORLD TO ME

From the West Coast to the warm waters of Australia, water’s beauty has courted me everywhere I go. My art strives to reclaim a magical world and rebel against one afraid of nonconformity through channeling the dueling majesty and ferocity of this splendor. Never far from the beach, I live and paint in Vancouver where the mountains touch the sea. 

“Water is more dangerous than fire.” 
That’s what my father would say when I was a little girl.  

To understand where this journey begins, let me tell you a story:

Winter frost painted the landscape. Grand fir trees lined my pathway home as I crossed the little wooden bridge. I loved this shortcut; every third grader did. 

The frozen pond beneath the bridge sparkled with the ice-skating patterns of kids at play. The ice thinned towards the center of the pond, beyond the fog where the floating island sat.

Chestnut chickadees glided down from the willow tree, barren now that its lacy branches had dropped and fused with the ice. I hated when the birds flew away. 

Then the reverie shattered.

The raucous voices of three fourth-grade boys crept closer. They encircled me and pushed me onto the frozen pond. As I slid onto thin ice, I heard the crack—so soft, like a zipper. The pond broke open. I fell through as it closed over my head. I kicked for a bottom that wasn’t there.  

December warmed instantly. My senses adapted; my humiliation evaporated. I saw autumn gold where I had expected the endless bite of winter. Shadows swayed like graceful dancers of light in my mind, composed of mermaids, hidden treasure, skulls of legends.

This secret society of the water has profoundly influenced my art. My coastal lifestyle on the West Coast challenges me to explore our uncharted sea by painting, from my mermaid Talisman, Fleur de Mer, to abstract skulls, Royale Caché.

But that day alone didn’t ignite my art; it only was the genesis of my imagination.

The first came from a terrifying helicopter flight over the Great Barrier Reef. The second was from that majestic natural wonder itself. The helicopter banked close enough to the reef to feel the pull of the mystic kingdom beneath the water.

During those humid Aussie days, my heritage woolstore loft served as my studio and home in one. I painted obsessively during the evenings and stored canvases under my bed. Six months later, I walked each of my paintings individually to my exhibition space on the Brisbane River. 

This art show was my first step to Disney themed fine art exhibitions in Southern California, the study of Abstract painting at Emily Carr University, and representation through a leading international fine art advisory. Now, my art is displayed at world-class resorts and hotels from the Four Seasons Hotels to the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.

Inviting yet dangerous—a tonality of soft rebellion; that is the source of the duality in the art you will see here. Blame the young adult years I spent down under. I lived in Australia for most of my twenties, an extreme departure from my composed, traditional, European upbringing. 

I had to recapture the golden underwater dynasty I had envisioned in that freezing pond. It brought me freedom from a world of rules and expectations.

My unique style has been refined over 10 years of painting, giving my art otherworldly qualities that possess an uncommon temperature in both culture and color. You are never far from the ocean with my paintings. Hauntingly personal, my art is a siren that will transport you to that golden Bohemian kingdom where we all belong. Each painting is an invitation, now open not only to hotels and resorts but to your own home as well.

For more information, you can get in touch with me through my Contact Page.

My art can be found in these Hotels and Resorts