About the Artist

If you’ve come here to find a nice list of all my training and accomplishments, you’re about to be disappointed, although who knows, I might add some as I go.  Here’s my story in a nutshell (and not in 3rd person because that just feels weird).

I was born in England, but my family moved to Canada when I was barely three years old.  When I was five we moved to Guelph, Ontario where I have spent most of my life (minus a few years at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay).  I am a Girl Guide (Scout) Leader, and love weekends camping with “my girls”.

I’ve always enjoyed drawing, but never really liked taking art in school (although I still somehow managed to receive the Grade 8 Art award).  At university I was looking for an “easy A” course to take during the summer, and found a Coloured Pencils class available to the community and students alike.  I did get my “A” but I got so much more… never did I expect that course to change the way I saw and did art.  Before then, coloured pencils were for drawing maps in school.  Who knew they could make almost photo-realistic art!  This lead to years of commissions of everything from wedding and pet portraits, to homes and businesses.

About 15 years ago, while wandering an art store, I discovered Scratchboard.  At first I stayed away from the relatively expensive boards, afraid I’d spend the money and hate it, but eventually curiosity got the better of me and I jumped in.  I LOVED it!  While I continued to work in graphite, coloured pencils and pen & ink, I always enjoyed the detail of scratchboard the most.

As I now try and branch out from doing only commissions, I have chosen to focus on Scratchboard.  While it has to be the most tedious of all mediums I’ve ever worked with (an 8×10 can easily take 40-80 hours), it is also the most rewarding.  I love the fine detail that can be achieved…  Well, that and seeing peoples faces when I explain its all done with a knife.

In 2017 I became an Active Member of ISSA (International Society of Scratchboard Artists) and attended their annual Conference and Show in May 2018.  Looking forward to many more years of “scratching” with friends :).