While I have only been painting for a few years, my work as an artist has expanded since closing my healing practice due to COVID and focusing on living a creative life – writing and painting. I have found my voice and presence in abstract art by discovering texture and other techniques I love.

My process is such that I usually work on several pieces simultaneously. I apply a texture medium that requires time to cure, so I prep 2-4 canvases on the same day. I have to wait 24-48 hours for the paintings to dry completely, then sand them until smooth before starting painting. Switching between projects based on what is wet or dry, each piece progresses at its own pace. Every piece has multiple layers, sometimes numbering up to a dozen or more. Often, one project influences the next. Over a series of weeks or months, each canvas reveals its voice, unique yet often similar to the others. 

There is nothing I love more than to play with paint just for the fun of it. I try to start a project without any expectations of a final result because, inevitably, something shifts along the way. Almost every painting always ends up looking completely different than I thought it would. 

Playing with acrylic paint, writing, and doing what I love every day brings so much joy and fulfillment that it truly has become my most significant focus and energetic output.

My husband, Russell, is also an accomplished artist. With him, we run Birdsong Studios in Okotoks, Alberta, where we are fortunate to live a life full of grace, gratitude, and abundance.