My first artistic endeavor took place in my Maple Ridge garden. We built our home on acreage in the country and over a period of twelve years created an award winning garden that was featured in the Vancouver Sun, on the Home and Garden Channel, and in the magazines “Gardens West” and “Canadian Gardening”. I was very involved with the Maple Ridge Garden Club and when my husband and I decided to move and retire to the Okanagan, the garden club asked if I planned on creating another garden. I told them my retirement dream was to learn how to draw and paint so as a going away gift the club gave me a complete art set.
However after we built our home in Coldstream I was asked if I would consider working a few days a week which turned into almost full time and the art set moved to the back of the closet.
After my dad passed away a few years ago my mom moved in with us. With her in our home I knew it was time to retire again but not being one to sit still for too long I realized I would finally be able to take that art set out of the closet. In the summer of 2012 I started to attend a drop in art class at Nadine’s Fine Arts. I created my first piece and was thrilled with the result.
I began with acrylic paints but after a health scare last year I thought I would attend a class on “Zen” Doodling and have now discovered a whole new world of meditative art. I slowly worked from black and white to color and now call my pieces “Happy Art”.
Art has been incredibly rewarding for me and as one project is being finished I am already planning the next one. I love being able to let my imagination flow into each piece and I can get so lost at the drawing board that hours seem to slip by in what seems like minutes.
Although I now only create my garden in pots on the deck, I can create flowers and gardens in my art. Creating new pieces of art has become my form of meditation and every moment soothes my soul and brings me peace.
“In all thing of nature, there is something of the marvelous” Aristotle
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