I

was born in Montreal, Canada and lived there until I was 19. Apart from the art classes while doing teacher training at Macdonald College and many evening life drawing sessions, I did not have any formal training in painting. I married and after a year in

Trinidad, moved to Guyana where I painted in my spare time, between learning to live in a place that was very different, as well as looking after a home and a young son. After some years when we moved to Kenya, it was another experience of adapting and my painting continued to be a big part of my life. However, I was feeling the lack of structured training more and more.

I decided to go Art School in London, England, to get technical background and a new direction in my painting. However, once there, I fell into doing figurative sculpture which I loved and the painting gradually became a weekend pastime over the following years.

After the four years of intensive sculptural study, making armatures and working in clay, I stayed in London and got a job doing full figure portrait sculpture at Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum. The varied art skill requirements of my job were very enjoyable to explore and I enjoyed meeting and sculpting many famous people. To meet people like the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela and Queen Elizabeth II, to name just a few was very special and I felt very privileged. After about eight years I was promoted to be Head of the Portrait Studio, in charge of the many departments involved in the production of the portraits; sculpture, moulding, hair insertion and colouring, eye-making, wardrobe and research, as well as the maintenance studios for keeping the portraits looking good.

At that time, Madame Tussaud's was expanding and creating exhibitions in many other places in the world. Apart from the existing one in Amsterdam, I was involved in setting up the portraits in Australia (a travelling one in Sidney and Melbourne which eventually moved to Singapore and then Hong Kong); then, big establishments in Las Vegas and New York. It was so exciting to be a part of that development and to travel to places I might not have otherwise seen.

The quality of the production as well as the maintenance of the portraits once in the exhibitions around the world was another or my responsibilities. It was very demanding but rewarding work.

After retirement I was able to spend more time painting. Moving to Victoria has introduced me to the beautiful West Coast scenery, which is wonderful to explore. I am learning all the time and enjoy trying out different techniques.

I find it very difficult to date my paintings as I often go back to them, months, even years after the initial work and finish them with with a clearer idea of where they are going. My drawings, however, are dated, as I usually complete each one before starting another.

September 2020