Prairie Circus 2002- present

Our world is full of images, leaving little time to stop and understand our surroundings. This project explores my memories of growing up in rural Alberta during the 70s and 80s, in awe of the glittery Solid Gold dancers, strange cartoons, and shiny candy wrappers. I cherished the wide prairie skies and stars, as I witnessed consumer culture grow and disco faded. I dreamed of magical landscapes, longing for adventure, wishing I had the courage to run away and join a circus and imagining a world that was not part of my reality. I love storytelling and creating visually engaging paintings. My art process is intuitive, drawing inspiration from nature's colours, while paying homage to the Old Masters, Surrealists, and Abstract Expressionists.

In 2002, I started this series while attending a 2 month artist residency in France, drawing inspiration from festivals, people, architecture, and art. This artwork captures the emotions of first-time travel with images that highlight the sense of magic that have fascinated me since childhood. My interests in old Hollywood, the circus, ghosts, and portraits influence this work, incorporating symbols and characters from the Hilarious House of Frightenstein, Spiderman, Scooby Doo, the Flintstones and Nancy Drew. Although my paintings may seem diverse with elements like landscapes, comic book characters, cartoon figures, neon lights, and circus performers, they are unified by composition and colour to convey nostalgia, hope and happiness.