I was born the seventh child of ten on a large century old estate in Holland, the Netherlands. When I was eleven years old, my family, all except the three oldest siblings, immigrated to Canada. It was a long unforgettable journey by ocean liner and train. When we arrived in Montreal, I remember being in total awe of this large and very beautiful country. While growing up and learning the language, I also learned to appreciate the natural beauty and would take time to draw what I saw of the rugged land of Canada. I had a newfound love of art.

Upon growing up, I settled with my husband and two small children on the shores of Lake Huron in the small town of Kincardine, Ontario. I decided to enroll in some evening art classes, which were offered at the local high school. My love of art grew stronger. I remember when our instructor arranged for our class to visit the McMichael Canadian Collection in Kleinburg. From that day on, I became an avid admirer of the work, which was done by some of the Group of Seven artists, namely Lawren Harris and Tom Thomson. The way these artists portrayed the north country in all of its splendor and beauty inspired me greatly.

When we moved to Muskoka several years later, I decided to pick up my brushes again and enrolled in an I.C.S. art course as well as some local art classes. With my new acquired skills and an incredible amount of passion, I too began painting with the hopes of showing these beautiful parts of our country to our future generations. I fear that with the ever-increasing pollution, this natural beauty may not last.

In my paintings, I try to convey the feelings, which sometimes overwhelm me, such as watching the sun set, over one of our many lakes and viewing the transformation of the golden sun reflecting its beauty into the water. I also try to show the tranquility and peace of my surroundings when walking through the forest or meadow in the autumn or the night sky when it seems to come alive and dance with the Northern Lights. There is also something which touches me deeply upon witnessing a large yellow moon mirrored on one of our lakes.

We are so lucky to be living in such wondrous surroundings and I just want to try to portray as much of this as I can.

STUDIO HOURS
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