About the Artist
At the tender age of 90, and after years of studying at various universities, I finally earned my BFA degree.
After graduating With Distinction in 1986 from Alberta College of Art (ACA) in Calgary, which at that time was not a degree-granting institution, I doggedly pursued a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at universities in Alberta and British Columbia. This entailed both online courses at Athabasca University and attending credit courses at ACA (now known as Alberta University of the Arts) as well as attending credit courses at North Island College in Campbell River on Vancouver Island over the span of twenty years.
I had some serious health challenges in those years, and many times almost gave up. However - finally, in May of 2025, just one month short of reaching my 90th birthday, I earned my BFA degree!
About
ABOUT US
In The Studio
The inspiration for my work comes from my deep love of the Canadian landscape, both as it can be enjoyed as a lover of nature and art, and as an artist, perceived with paint. Regionalism lies at the heart of my work. I paint what I see and cherish around me, both as a hiker and as an artist who calls Canada home.
For decades, Canada's fragile ecological systems has been my deepest concern. Through bold, vibrant colour, I strive to capture not just the beauty of our natural world, but the urgency felt about protecting it. Each brushstroke carries the passion and emotion I feel for these wild places that have given me so much.
About the Artist
At the tender age of 90, and after years of studying at various universities, I finally earned my BFA degree.
After graduating With Distinction in 1986 from Alberta College of Art (ACA) in Calgary, which at that time was not a degree-granting institution, I doggedly pursued a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at universities in Alberta and British Columbia. This entailed both online courses at Athabasca University and attending credit courses at ACA (now known as Alberta University of the Arts) as well as attending credit courses at North Island College in Campbell River on Vancouver Island over the span of twenty years.
I had some serious health challenges in those years, and many times almost gave up. However - finally, in May of 2025, just one month short of reaching my 90th birthday, I earned my BFA degree!
In The Studio
The inspiration for my work comes from my deep love for the Canadian landscape, both as it can be enjoyed as a lover of nature, and as a visual artist, when perceived in paint.
Regionalism is at the heart of my work. I paint what I see and cherish around me, both as a hiker and as an artist who calls Canada home.
For the last several decades, Canada’s fragile eco systems have been of deep concern.
With bold and vibrant colour, I strive to capture not just the beauty of our natural world, but the urgency felt to protect it. Each brushstroke carries the passion and emotion I feel for those wild places that have given me so much.
My work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions across Canada and many of the paintings now reside in public, private, and corporate collections throughout Canada, the United States, Europe, and Asia.
The group of artists in the photo to the right are the members of the Burns Visual Art Society. Our studios were in the Nielsen Building on the Stephen's Avenue Mall in Calgary.
Artist’s Experience
The Arctic Institute of North America, Mt. Logan
For several summers, (10 days each time) I was an Artist in Residence with several other artists at the Kluane Lake Research Station, (The Arctic Institute of North America, University of Calgary), located 220 km northwest of Whitehorse on the wild shores of beautiful Kluane Lake.
From these awesome trips, Yukon Art Centre exhibited a one-person show of many of my large scale acrylic paintings.
The Arctic Institute of North America’s Icefield Discovery Camp
This is the “airstrip” at the Arctic Institute of North America’s Icefield Discovery Camp. Mt. Logan is of the Saint Elias Range and is the highest mountain in Canada at 19,551 ft. This mountain is the second highest in North America after Mt. Denali.
My artist friend Tania O’Donnell and I were privileged to arrive at the Icefield Discovery Camp in a small plane (Piper Cub??) through the generosity of our host, pilot Andy Williams, who was Manager at that time of The Arctic Institute of North America at the Kluane Lake Research Centre, Mile 1054 Alaska Highway, 160 miles west of Whitehorse. You can check out this Research Centre at their very informative website at: klrs.ca
The flight itself was scary/awesome for two artists who’d never had the experience of flying in a small plane before. Looking down on those too-close mountain peaks and sometimes being navigated through what seemed like too-narrow channels of rocky terrain gave much credit to our pilot.
Image Credit: Goodwin
My Trail Horse, "Boots"
This picture is of my remarkable trail horse, “Boots”, who carried me safely up and through rocky and difficult mountain trails. He even had the bravado to gallop through an active wasp nest that sat right in the middle of our trail’s ascent, and we never even got stung!
Prior to his days as a trail horse in the Rockies, Boots had quite a career as a star in the well known television series, “Lonesome Dove”, also starring Richard Chamberlain.
This mountain trip was an unforgettable period in my adventurous career. It involved a ten-day pack trip into the Canadian Rockies with guides and with a group of twelve artists, (who later called ourselves “The Dirty Dozen”).
Our time as wanna-be cowboys was awesome, if not oftentimes gruelling. Aside from dealing with our aching bones after each day on horseback, we learned about properly caring for our horses before and after their hard day’s excursion. That resulted in a strong bond being forged between us and our horses and with that affection being retaliated by soft nuzzles and neighs. The reward was palpable!
The meals served up by our base camp cook were definitely something to write home about. Breakfast was “the full meal deal” - bacon and eggs, toast, coffee, and plus a substantially packed lunch for our horseback painting forays after breakfast. To top it off, there was always a really great supper on our return to camp after the hard day’s ride, which always included painting, sketching and camera work.
Evenings around the campfire were always a stellar experience. Guitar, harmonica, wild tales of bravado, or just quiet discourse. Such a great experience!
Life in the campsite situation could be entertaining. Sleeping with three tent mates (including the one who snored loudly all night), and enduring the cold outdoor shower at crack of dawn…and the time when it snowed overnight on our last night and we woke up with our tent collapsed in our faces. We struggled to get the tent upright again but we were so buckled over with laughter that it became an almost impossible job!
After finally getting the tent set up again, we crawled back into our now cold and wet sleeping bags, in our cold, wet clothes, which of course made sleep for the rest of the night cold, wet and impossible.
Horse Pack Trip With Boots
Caring for my hardworking horse, Boots, after we both have had a hard day on the mountain trails.
Trip With MyTrail Horse
It snowed last night! Our last night in camp! So cold! Even the horses look dejected.
In the Alberta Mountains
Nature in the wild. What’s not to love? Painting “en plein air” in the Alberta mountains.
Painting "En Plein Air"
Painting “en plein air” on a weekly basis was an annual summertime pleasure.
Hiking at the Lake
Hiking was a big part of my life in those days! Seeking out sites for inspiration in my painting, and just for the sheer joy of being out in Canada’s awesome natural environment.
At the Print Studio
Awesome artist and friend Bev Tosh and me, running a print through the press at the print studio we often rented in Calgary.
Artists!
Me and my four closest colleagues (left to right, Louise Williamson, me, Bev Tosh, and Les Pinter) in one of our studios in the Nielsen Building, Calgary.
Student Days at ACA
Here I am with my dear late friend, Francis Ekvall, at the parkade of the Alberta College of Art (now Alberta University of the Arts).
Yukon Trip Hosted by the Arctic Institute of North America
Here I am with my late bestie, Francis Ekvall, in the dramatic Yukon landscape.