I was born at Kipling, Saskatchewan, the only leftie in my family, my school and my community. Growing up with a family of four siblings on a farm near Peebles, Saskatchewan had its challenges and its rewards. I do not ever recall feeling bored! My imagination and creativity filled that void. I had the freedom to explore. Spaces and places became magical and enchanting. It seems natural for me to include those imaginative experiences in my art and my stories.

As a child, I came across some illustrated books stuffed into a corner. I remember clearly to this day, the excitement I felt in seeing the images. They had an enormous impact on me. Many years later I was to discover them to be the works of artists and illustrators such as Randolph Caldecott, Arthur Rackham and Anton Pieck. I love exploring children’s book illustration.

My first art table was an old 24" x 36" blackboard, which was actually green in color. It was held up with two sturdy boxes. A homemade pencil case made by my Mom, an old school pencil and pink pearl eraser and some scrap paper completed my art world.  I spent many happy hours creating illustrations and stories.

My Influences and Inspirations

Interactions and observations in nature continue to influence my work.  I am intrigued by nature’s colors, patterns and rhythms. I take every opportunity to explore. It nurtures my creativity and provides a wealth of inspiration for me.

I love to create characters from images I see in nature’s patterns, wood, fabric, or even crumbled paper. They just pop up before my eyes. I add my imagination and the pencil or brush does the rest.  I do lots of soft thumbnail sketches in pencil and work in my studio, many hours each day.  I have a vivid imagination. I am happiest when I was creating.

What I am up to today

I currently live in Alameda, Saskatchewan. I am married, have two married children and 5 awesome grandchildren. I feel incredibly blessed to have the endless support of my husband Glenn, and my family. Over the years, I have had many different jobs, and I always drew pictures on scraps paper at every break, at every job. I worked as a librarian for our local library and later I as a librarian within the school system. I loved my interactions with children and books. These experiences lead me to working as a freelance illustrator.

Today I work full time at Swallow’s Art Nest Studio as an artist/illustrator. I began working in oils and dabbling in numerous other art mediums, I now work mainly in acrylics, pen and ink and prismacolor pencils. I create opportunities to fill my life with children and share in the excitement of imagination and creating! I create children picture book illustrations, book and magazine covers, paint nature and teach art classes. I am continually inspired by nature and love adding humor to my illustrations. If you'd like a peek at my studio and inspirational environment, please check out this recent interview in the CANSCAIP Newsletter.

Working as an artist/illustrator, I look forward to every opportunity to create picture books and share my creativity with others. It is my sincere hope that my work takes you into your world of imagination.