Where to begin. I'm not even really sure where to start, because this studio space has existed for so long in my mind as a place I would find eventually, even though I had no idea how. I drew pictures of it. I wrote specifics into my journal about how it would look. It has been so incredibly real to me over the past year, but it came together over the course of 48 hours last week. I will give full credit here: my studio partner Emily of Table & Pine Photography is the push behind all of this, and it was her initiative and drive that found the space. She had been searching for a studio for a little...
The Origins of Landing Light It's hard to feel anything but peaceful when watching a Lake Nipissing sunset. That's what I was seeking when I snapped the reference photo for this painting back in March of 2020. The pandemic had just arrived, my daycare had been closed, and like everyone else I was scared and confused. My boys were 19 months at the time, parks were closed, and I spent my days trying to entertain them while teaching online. My husband was participating in ventilation simulations at work, preparing for an influx of patients in CCU, and I was so worried about him getting sick. Needless to say, I was not in a good place, mentally or emotionally. So after one particularly...
Something Old, Something New I'd like to steer away from talking about Winterlight purely from a technical standpoint, and instead talk about the doors that it has reopened. A few months ago, I asked friends of mine to suggest some fantasy books, particularly ones that had a fairytale-like feeling to them, or took place in a northern setting. I was seeking inspiration for new works that had a bit of a fantastical twist, that felt like they could've been set in a landscape similar to Northern Ontario. I received a bunch of wonderful suggestions, but the one that stayed with me the most was the The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. I'm going somewhere with this, I promise. The suggestion came...
I don't know what it is about marshes, but I absolutely love them. Maybe it's because they're always full of song. Perhaps it's the slight sense of the sinister that appeals to my fairytale-loving heart (lets face it, marshes can be kind of spooky). Whatever it is, this marsh has been a saving grace for me throughout the pandemic, somewhere that I can go to recharge my energy when I feel trapped and frustrated. The Backstory This particular marsh sits on the edge of Depensiers Lake in North Bay, which is really more of a giant pond. Part of the snowmobile trail network, winter unlocks more of the marsh for exploration, because it functions more like a highway of recreational...
It's difficult to put into words how excited I am to be announcing this show. I have been thinking, hoping, dreaming, planning and preparing this show for months, and it's time to reveal both the concept and the name! If you want to watch the YouTube video revealing the name and concept, you can do so by watching below, or simply read on! THE SQUARE FOOT SHOW One of my goals this year was to increase the quantity of work that I produced, as opposed to only working on large pieces. Those large paintings often take me months to create, which means that my ability to teach that painting is somewhat limited. As such, I wanted to create a show...
