OPENING RECEPTION AND CONCERT:  SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1-3pm

Being an artist, for me, was never really an option. I was not really passionate about anything else – except maybe watching the Three Stooges on Saturday morning television.  Life was simple growing as a kid in Hamilton, Ontario, during the 1960’s; the local lads and I spent most of our weekends fishing, hiking, exploring, and avoiding anything related to household chores.

Art, though, was another thing. Being banished to my room, as punishment for some misdemeanour, was actually fun. I would spend the hours (before my father got home) drawing and painting anything that came to mind. There was little or no artistic instruction or guidance in my life, so I was alone with my imagination to seek inspiration from art found in books and magazines.

Many calendars later, I found myself, through a fantastic twist of fate, studying at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto where I studied under some of the best illustrators of the day. It was a crazy four years that went by in a flash.  Upon graduation, I eventually found freelance work illustrating for print publications, television, and creating ad layouts, storyboards, and packaging designs for various firms in and around the Greater Toronto area.

After raising three sons, I was given the opportunity to go to teacher’s college and thus became a secondary school teacher, passing on my artistic knowledge and experience to high school students. This came naturally. I had already taught watercolour painting for a number of years at a local community college and was an army cadet instructor for a while- great at the instructing part, terrible at the military aspect.

After 15 years of teaching and early retirement, my late wife, Catharine and I relocated to Qualicum Beach in 2017. Currently, I am an Active member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, and the Oceanside Community Arts Council. My artistic offerings may be viewed on Facebook, either under my name or my professional page; “Colours on the Wall”.