When did you start painting and creating?

In childhood I began as a dancer. After training at The Winnipeg School of Contemporary Dancers, I continued dance and choreography professionally. In the last three years drawing and painting have become my primary focus.

How do you find the balance between the vision you have and the mediums you are using?

My work is a practise of letting go of my own ideas and expectations so that I can listen to the guidance of the spirits and my intuition. I see my art as a collaborative spiritual practise. By painting and studying everyday I hope to better understand my mediums so that I can more skillfully and freely denote without doubt.

What inspired your style of work?

As a dancer I understand line, movement, expression of emotion, harmony and music, all which inspire my painting. I was immersed visually with female bodies in motion, on stage, backstage, in costume, in the nude and in a myriad of emotions for most years of my life. These images still permeate into all of my drawings and paintings. My flat backgrounds are inspired by theatre stage set designs. Theatrical elements such as the colours and textures of stage curtains and costumes, masks, props and lighting as well as the mystery, drama, superstition and magic of the theatre often come to play in my paintings.

Where do you get inspiration from? Are there any particular artists, photographers, painters or designers you look up to their works?

I’m currently looking at works by Odilon Redon, Marc Chagall, Edvard Munch,  Raoul Dufy, Emily Carr, Van Gogh and  Édouard Vuillard for inspiration.

How long does it take to create a piece? What is the process being it?

The time fluctuates depending on my emotional state and level of resistance. A painting can take as little as one hour and as long as half a year. I approach a canvas similarly to performance which is very ritualistically and superstitiously. The canvas which I stretch and prepare myself is done and ready on an easel. I will often burn herbs and rub oils onto the backs of the paintings and myself for luck. A candle is usually lit. Always I paint to music. Always I physically warm up my body so that I’m loose and present. I paint from memory and imagination, without a plan, reference or sketches, so I try to be as open and physical as possible to avoid fear or judgment to cloud my sense of intuition and play.

Would you say that there is a main thread connecting all your artworks and if so, which is it?

My work is diaristic. I am the thread connecting the artworks. Femininity, nature, mysticism, and dance are all very strong themes in my life and painting. I am deeply connected to my childhood which was spent on the West Coast gulf islands in Canada where the nature is overwhelmingly wild, fruitful and erotic. Since childhood I have had visions and hauntings of ghosts and spirits. Mysticism and magic are embedded into all my works. I am closely knit with my sisters who I paint metaphorically in nearly every painting. Sisterhood and expressing the lightness/darkness of being a woman is an ongoing theme in my work. All of these elements weave and dance together on the stage of my canvas.

What kind of talks would you like to hear around your artworks? 

I need to stay present in the process of creating rather than in the consequential conversations of the work that is finished. I need to just keep going on in the dark, forward.

When did you start painting, drawing and creating and what pushed you towards it?

I started painting about 4 years ago. I studied photography, but I really struggled with it. There were always obstacles like, light, perspective, color, etc. When I started painting I realized I could finally create an image that felt perfect to me.

How do you find the balance between the vision you have and the mediums you are using?

It is usually instinctive. I pick the medium that makes sense to me based on what I want the final outcome to be.  

What inspired your style of work? Where do you get inspiration from? Are there any particular artists, photographers, painters, drawers, designers or architects you look up to? 

I like to combine classical architectural elements with contemporary cultural markers. You can see a lot of the same themes through out my work, like fountains, women, bart, the nike logo, etc. I focus on things that I think are beautiful and things that I think are humorous. I really enjoy looking at work from Henry Moore and Paul Cezanne. 

What is the process behind the creation of a piece? 

I get an idea for an image that I want to create. Then I have to figure out how to make it. That usually involves a sketch and sourcing materials. Sometimes I have to allow myself to move away from the original idea a little bit based on the process. In the end if it feels right then it’s right. 

Would you say that there is a main thread connecting all your prints and if so, which is it? 

The strength and beauty of women inspire a majority of my work. I like to celebrate women of color in particular because they were under represented when I was growing up. I grew up in a time period where women of color were very rarely included in conventional media. This is my way of creating alternate histories from my personal experience.  Even now although there is more inclusivity, comparatively it seems very minimal.

What kind of talks would you like to hear around your artworks? 

I hope that people feel joy when they see my work. When I am moved by an art piece it speaks to me without using language. In this same type of way I would like to communicate with the viewer without using words.  

What would be the dream collaboration?

I would love to design a wine label or a piece of furniture. With who I’m not sure :*)