I’m back from a packed, adventure filled, 10 day trip to Southern and Northern California. Pistons were firing at full capacity through September: I delivered a four week Character Development course at Capilano U’s IDEA School, framed and shipped selected artworks to 5 different …..

It’s been wonderful spending the Summer at home in Squamish this year, even though studio time has eluded me. 2025 has unfolded into a year of loss and quite serious health challenges for my family, which necessarily means shifting priorities and focus.

My visits to the UK have always been later in Summer, after the end of Spring term. Being there earlier this year reminded me how lovely and plentiful the green spaces in London are, particularly in the South West, my old stomping ground. In April and May, the resident fallow deer in Richmond Park …..

Days before I left, we had a small earthquake, which rattled the studio for about 30 seconds and my nerves for a lot longer! I was working on the ground floor, building a shipping container for 2 of my paintings and felt the tremors directly. The noise puzzled me - it felt and sounded like snow sliding

Phantom flock sensation

A first look at something I created with AI, using a combination of my own photos and water-media paintings, tweaked and finished in Photoshop.

My Christmas was spent with my fabulous and talented cousin Marion Evamy, her husband Bobb and 2 dogs Jynx + Pablo. Winds were high on the Sidney side of Vancouver Island and so were the tides, so there wasn’t much beach walking. We cooked and talked, read and cooked and shared ideas.

My exhibition Hidden Worlds is now installed and ready for the world to see - you need to come to Squamish though and head to the Library on 2nd Ave (just up the road from Fox and Oak, the town’s mecca for Coffee ‘n Donuts). The show’s on until January 20, 2025, so plenty of time for a visit!

September kept me occupied in the classroom and volunteering to help promote and engage with the Artists for Conservation annual International Exhibition at Van Dusen Botanical Gardens. It was a wonderful event. I met so many beautiful, kind and generous people - all lending their talents

We drank café au lait, wandered the cobbled streets and climbed up 100 metres to get epic views from Louis XIV’s citadel. Day trips included a visit to nearby Ornans, where the painter Gustave Courbet was born. Plat du jour lunches comprised of local Comté cheese, sardines, baguette and minted

May has moved onto Junuary in Squamish, BC. Rains have been prolific. My woodland garden glowed briefly with cherry blossom, rhododendron and lilac, but lushness and deep shade have returned. Beyond the fence line, I have a view into Coho Park where trails lead to Alice Lake Provincial Park.

Who would have thought watching toads in their courtship would be so entertaining and fun! Especially from a kayak which offers a clear view of activity above and below the shoreline. I couldn’t help feeling a bit voyeuristic though and wondered if we should just leave them alone!

Covid taught me the value of keeping a list of jolly ‘pick-me-ups’. When my mind is distracted like this, I like to focus on things that need to be done outside the studio. So for the past week, I’ve been spending time planning my garden, getting quotes for a new deck surface …….

I am planning a trip to see my Dad in July and this always means a day out at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition - the oldest and largest open submission, juried exhibition in the world. Everyone can apply! Emerging artists and some of the biggest names in contemporary art and architecture

2023 was my 60th year. After spending three years through Covid, Art Directing at Atomic Cartoons in Vancouver (and loving every minute), I felt this significant birthday was a perfect opportunity to reconnect with my own artistic projects again. I seem to roll in 3 year cycles - balancing full time …..