My mother, Blanche Drake, painted with oils and water colours. She shared her love of water colours with me – as well as her brushes and tubes of paint. As was true for her, time for painting was rare until I retired and life’s responsibilities lessened.

I worked primarily with water colours until about four years ago. When a watercolour workshop lead by artist, Yvette Neumann (Heartful Retreats), was cancelled, I attended the alternative offering that weekend — an acrylic abstract class. This was my first experience with both abstracts and acrylics and I thoroughly enjoyed the introduction to this new medium and focus. The freedom of abstract work along with the challenges of composition, texture, and colour were exciting discoveries. Inspiration abounds in the forest and water worlds. I look forward to days in my grubby painting clothes, my hands covered in blue and green hues, while I attempt to capture the magic on canvas.

My family members are my biggest fans and much of my work has found homes with them. There are, among others, paintings of the Three Sisters mountains in Canmore, AB and Fernie, BC for my favourite three sisters: my three granddaughters; the historic Ladner landmark Westham Island bridge for my daughter; and “Life Stories as Told by Trees” for my son and daughter-in-law.