Immigrating to Canada from the Nederlands in the late 60s, my father began his life as an artist. I watched my father develop his art and business of selling art in the Toronto area. His passion for the ability to be free from the constraints of a corporate path inspired me to follow a similar route. However, life was not as linear as expected. I began by completing a BA with Honours at Carleton University studying Mass Communications and following this with a BFA at Ringling School of Art and Design in Florida. During this time, I studied in New York City at the New York Studio Residency Program which was affiliated with the Parson's School of Art in the 90's. I was part of an elite group of art college students who were selected to be part of this program. Since completing school, I have lived in Toronto with my husband and two children. For the past 30 years I have travelled extensively throughout the USA showing my work. Since my first degree I have been interested in the meaning behind the message of contemporary Art. Focusing upon Feminist art and art made by women, I studied the Artists that would challenge mainstream ideas of female identity and image. Artists such as Cindy Sherman and Barbara Kruger inspired my desire to raise awareness of identity and perception of the female role in our culture. My interest focused upon the media's interpretation of women's identity. Presently the use of the media is the main resource for my imagery. By collaging images taken from classic films, vintage magazines and found old photos, I use nostalgia as a form of redefining our modern identity. I draw the viewer into a space that relates a story about modern day struggle. The themes of self Empowerment, balance of work and family in her Home Sweet Home series, and my desire to just run away in her Escape imagery combine to show the narrative of how men and women cope with a world that has expectations of perfection. This work is based upon recognition of the constraints and demands of our modern identity. Using self exploration and historical references, these works create a universal experience. Each image creates a cluster of thoughts, a memory or idea that takes us into another place. This place references the past, as though to take us out of the uncertain/unknown present and into romantic glory days that creates a nostalgic twinge. Stories develop by using found photos, vintage advertising, stills from classic films, music scores, and snippets of poetry. Narratives evolve as moments of images are placed together. As the images collage, stories present themselves and memory becomes a binding force. Yet each image is interpreted in the context of Today. Our perceptions of ourselves is always mediated by that which we believe is acceptable. Themes of home, independence, yearning for love and escape permeates the narratives. Each piece explores the search for connection and validation. This subjective representation drives the work. Yet the adaptation of the mid-century imagery enables the narratives to be easily accessed and understood. There is a melding of time and space. By blending the present experience with the mid century references, there is clarification of our own place. Who are we as the world moves so quickly? Is identity defined by the “selfie”? As social media overtakes our daily life, connectedness and identity seems ephemeral. The “ideal” of home is omnipresent, permeating our life as we strive for success. As young women attempt to achieve their ideal of having it all, there is a renewed sense of loneliness. And then there is the Escape- the sense of just being in a place filled with light, life and love. This work has a dialogue between the photographic digital references and expressionistic brushwork. The hand is present. My process is unique in that my work is developed in several stages. Working with vintage wallpapers and tissue paper, I initially create an abstraction that attempts to create a "feeling" of a story. The patterns from vintage wallpapers, and layers of tissue paper, meld together to create an ephemeral vague dimension of space. Once this has dried, the story is introduced with digital layering, pastels and acrylic paint. Imagery is introduced in a surreal nature so that the viewer is brought into the whimsical nature of the scene. Every image tries to touch on the personal realm of the viewer. It may remind us of a significant person in our life who filled it with connections and reality. Or it may convey a feeling of a place of release in which we are free from demands of work. As viewers we are pushed to the surface of the painting and then drawn into the illusionistic space. As this push pull dynamic evolves in each piece, we are visually drawn into the romance of the past then thrust back into the present.
