As long as I can remember, I loved westerns. Western movies, western TV shows, cowboy songs. I suppose it was my father who got me into old movies in general, westerns specifically. We watched many together and I learned to appreciate them and the actors in them. My father used to draw western cartoons, and later on in my own art life, I painted western scenery.
My travels to Arizona and New Mexico in the 1990s inspired me and led to a series of paintings called "The Southwest". The canvasses were 8"x10" with a landscape as the main theme, surrounded by Santa Fe-style or Mexican-style decor plus black and white native symbols in between. This series of paintings was well received at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition and other shows.
During the following years, I travelled to many places but returned to the southwest and my inspiration. I began a second series and completed more than 25 canvasses so far. They have been simplified further and I am experimenting with adding beadwork to some pieces. Recently, I have exhibited as a member of West Toronto Artists and have sold many of these canvasses.
Petroglyph 1 and Petroglyph 2. Acrylic with loom beading decor.