I finger paint with nature’s beauty- her patterns, colours, movements, shadows and elemental tensions. I began almost three decades ago by painting how I feel as a kind of painting journal practice, letting my hands choose the colours. Then my world burst wide open the day on an impulse I decided to paint the way a vase of tulips feels instead of the way it looks. I was so entranced by both the deep connection I felt and the beauty of the image that I continue to begin my paintings in this way with both hands in the paint with my eyes closed to feel into nature and my own heart.

I teach Paint with Nature workshops to youth & adults using powerful yet easy-to-learn techniques that use touch to connect then create. I teach in the garden, forest, by the sea and in my studio;  also at retreats, schools, art camps, wilderness programs, and on the sea. I call myself  a “nature-taught” painter (I made that up) and have a Doctorate in Transformative Learning from the University of Toronto with a focus on creativity and nature connection. I am president of the Salt Spring Gallery, an artist-driven fine art collective. I live, work and play on Salt Spring Island, BC, Canada and love gunk holing around the Gulf Islands on my sailboat Phoenix. Learn more