Roulette, 2016, Oil and flashe on canvas 51.5 x 103 inches
Where did you grow up? What was the landscape like?
I grew up in Ladner. It’s a suburb of Vancouver that was a fishing and farming community before it was a suburb. I spent a lot of summers on the Gulf Islands and the Sunshine Coast. I remember mountains on one side and the ocean on the other side. I live in L.A. now and it’s the same.
Do you think being Canadian has had any impact on your work?
I didn’t see a lot of art in person until I went to Europe when I was 17. I just looked at pictures of art in books. I think this informed some of my earlier work. I never expected to make money as an artist in Canada so I always felt like I should take risks with my work.
What is your favourite medium to work with?
Chalk pastel on paper, also oil painting.
What themes do you work with, if any?
Animal, emotional life, vegetative life.
Are you inspired by any Canadian painters?
Yes, mostly by friends…Tiziana La Melia, Elizabeth McIntosh, Mina Totino.
“Romance” 2016 oil and flashe on canvas, 52 x 58 inches
The Animal Lover’s Guide to Tragedy/The Emotional Person’s Guide to Plot, 2016, Oil and flashe on canvas, 51.5 x 58 inches
Untitled, 2015, watercolor and glaze on ceramic, 12 x 11 x 2.25 inches
Untitled, 2015, watercolor and glaze on ceramic, 20 x 21 x 2.25 inches
Is there any one painter who has influenced your work more than others?
Not particularly.
Are you drawn to any particular historical art movement?
I feel a lot of affinities with feminist artists, artists that have curative, experimental/other purposes than making art for art. Individual careers are more interesting to me than historical movements.
Do you consider your work to be political?
Yes.
What do you think is missing from the Canadian art scene?
I think there are a lot of art scenes in Canada. I’ve spent most of my time in Vancouver and don’t feel like I know the art scenes very well in other cities.
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