In 2024, I continued to showcase my art at Red Canoe Gallery in Muskoka (The moved from Port Carling to beautiful space in Bala that has lots of parking), Killarney Mountain Lodge, (where my work mainly hangs in the log conference centre called: Canada House), Cloud Gallery in Orillia, and Petroff Gallery in Toronto.
I continued to be inspired by Georgian Bay, Killarney and northern Ontario. I just can’t get enough of the White Pine trees, the Canadian Shield and the water!
For my March Break , I did a Mom and Daughter trip to New Orleans. I had been wanting to go for years, and finally made it. We absolutely loved it. Loved the charming old architecture of the French Quarter and the colourful wooden shotgun houses/cottages of the Marigny, the southern gas lit houses, with the gorgeous porches of the Garden District, LOVED the amazing live jazz music everywhere, the art scene and the fabulous variety of Cajun and Creole food.
In the summer, I was asked to be a part of an book on the artists of Georgian Bay. I was one of 41 artists. There was a book launch and art show in Meaford in September that I attended. It was fun being a part of a group of artists who were all inspired by Georgian Bay. I still have copies of the hardcover book, so if you would like to purchase one , let me know.
Also in the summer my husband Dave and I celebrated our 35th anniversary by going on a trip to the French Polynesia. Another big fascination of mine is the underwater world. The islands of the French Polynesia were a snorkelling paradise and kept me entertained for hours most days. I was so excited to see my first octopus, clown fish, black tip sharks, giant clams and manta rays. We spent a week on a small cruise ship and another week on the islands of Moorea and Tahiti. We visited the Olympic surfing site of Teahupoo one of our days driving around Tahiti.
In the fall I returned to my teaching job, at our local high school where I work with special needs students. I do a lot of art activities with the students, and most of them really look forward to the art each week. We are going to set up a booth in a local outdoor art show this June, in Newburgh, Ontario, called: Stoney Steps Artfest on June 14th, 2025. https://stoneystepsartfest.ca/
Hope the year was a good one for you too, filled with lots of inspirational moments.