Canadian artist, Estonian name, Scottish accent, two Korean daughters - quite a melting pot!
I was born in Estonia & brought up in a small Scottish seaside village. Coming to Canada with my mother at the age of 12 was a shock - nobody could understand by strong Scottish accent! However, over the years I spoke more "Canadian-ese" - & finally graduated from the University of Toronto as a Physical & Occupational Therapist, which allowed me to spend several years working in Europe, Britain, Australia & New Zealand & travelling in Europe & a camping-&-overland-bus trip from London to Calcutta. Finally I settled down on a farm north of Toronto with my now-ex-husband & four daughters - & used rare spare minutes to paint, dreaming of "someday" illustrating children’s books.
Throughout the "family years" & later as a single parent I worked part-time as a pediatric physiotherapist & used any spare time to build up an art career by exhibiting my paintings (in Canada, the U.S.A., Estonia & Mexico), and teaching workshops. Now, with my youngest daughter at University, I’m painting more, especially combining watercolour with other media, and delving into more whimsical & illustrative subjects. Maybe the time for illustrting children’s books has finally arrived!
I live in the beautiful rolling Mulmur Hills ( a very "arty" area due to the proximity to Toronto) and share my home with (visiting) daughters & four-legged "family" - a collie, four cats, two llamas & a recent addition - Birkir (a personality-plus) Icelandic horse. My days are largely filled with painting, art-related activities, teaching workshops in various parts of Ontario, New Brunswick & Nova Scotia. Painting trips have led me to Newfoundland & the Yukon. What more could one ask for? It’s a wonderful, creative life - and I’m so grateful for all its blessings, opportunities, challenges, successes - and yes, even failures (there’s a lesson in those, or at least a good session of brain-storming!).