Will You Miss Me? is a life-size image of a magnificent elephant in Samburu, Kenya who found an indelible place in my heart.. We had seen the herd at the Ewaso Ng'iro river having a bath, then they began to walk across the vast landscape. Our driver stopped the jeep a long distance away and we simply watched the matriarch lead her herd through the natural serenity of the space. After a while, it was clear that she was walking in our direction. Luckily, I was in the back seat of the open jeep, the highest vantage point. As she came closer, calm and beautiful, we were eye to eye. This was the final image before I slowly lowered my camera, not knowing what she might do. As she was only a few feet away, she gently shifted her gait and walked past my back. The baby behind her and the remainder of the herd did the same. When they had all safely passed, I slid to the other side of the jeep and took one more image of them walking away. This piece is 31 x 54 inches, is life size, and ideally should be hung on a wall so that her eye is 6 1/2 feet from the ground. Many people have asked me if I have named her, and I reply with "Oh no! She is wild and belongs to no-one." The title of the piece has become poignant for me as I have had to postpone the tour that I was leading until 2021, so the answer to Will You Miss Me? is a resounding "More than you can ever know!"
This is a limited edition of 10 with proceeds from all sales of this piece going to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and the Lewa Conservancy, both in Kenya.

The Sooke Fine Art Show is OPEN! Please check out the fantastic selection of artists who were selected for this unique edition of the show at sookefinearts.com 
As promised, I am posting the two image of my work that were selected with a little story for each.
*After The Rain*
The skies became dark very quickly and our driver scrambled to lower the side panels on the jeep to keep us dry. He, however, was soaked to the skin for his effort. After an intense but short downpour, the only uninterrupted view from the jeep was between the top of the windscreen and the bottom of the canopy. Straight ahead on a hilltop was a single Acacia tree, standing in silent simplicity, with two Topi emerging from their temporary shelter. The sky was gray and the silhouettes black, so, as per usual, no photo-editing was done. The image is 24 x 32 inches, printed on a metallic silver paper and dibond to aluminum. The nature of the paper gives the sky a luminescence and a slight appearance of color that changes and moves ever so slightly in ambient light and as the viewer moves past the piece. It is a limited edition on 5.

I am extremely proud to announce that my work is currently being exhibited in the beautiful Peninsula Gallery in Sidney by the Sea. Established in 1986, it has prospered into one of Canada's most acclaimed Art Galleries presenting high quality artworks of artists both local and of national renown. It is an honor to have my work displayed with my mentors and friends, Robert Bateman and Birgit Freybe Bateman. Currently, I have 25 works in the Gallery and will be present daily from Tuesday, July 7-until Saturday, July 18, from 10am to 5pm (closed on Sunday and Monday) so I hope to see you there!

I am thrilled to announce that I have had 2 pieces of my work chosen to be a part of the show. This year will be different though, as is almost everything else on the planet right now. The Sooke Fine Art Show will be taking local art to a world stage. As a result of the pandemic, the Show will be hosted online! Although everyone likes to interact with a piece of art in person, the steadfast and resilient organizers of this wonderful show have gone above and beyond to support local artists and bring art to the worldwide community. People can visit the show online anytime from July 24 to August 3, although it may be possible to buy art from the website until the end of September. This 34th anniversary of the Sooke Fine Art Show will be new, exciting and extraordinary! When the online exhibit opens, I will post my images here on my blog page and tell a story about each of them.

Life has been interesting lately to say the least. Self isolating and physical distancing has led to introspection and evaluating my life and purpose, wondering what the future might look like..Sometimes I get a lot done in a day, and sometimes, not a thing. Reading has become a renewed past time, always too busy before to settle in to a good book, I can now get lost in a story line or travel to a distant land simply by turning a page. Going through the house, cleaning, rearranging and editing things I had forgotten about, reminiscing and contacting people I haven't talked to in years. Covid has forced me to stop, relax, re-evaluate and re-focus on what's important to me. I've been able to educate myself more about wildlife conservation, and even though I'm not travelling this year, unless something changes dramatically, I am still involved in my own way. A portion of all of the sales from my work will be donated to 4 animal and wildlife projects, 2 in BC and 2 in Kenya. The Peninsula Gallery in Sidney BC now have an exhibit of my work and I have had 2 pieces accepted into this year's Sooke Fine Art Show. Even though the Coast Collective's physical gallery has closed for now, I also have work at the Juan De Fuca Rec Centre and at Mitzi Dean's Constituency Offices, both currently closed to viewing due to Covid 19. I'll continue turning the page to see what comes next...

As the coronavirus continues to affect almost every person's life in some way, it is only responsible to postpone the Kenya trip until next year. We are already securing the dates for the same time frame and the itinerary will be unchanged. It is most important to halt the spread and effects of this virus before beginning to travel again. Although my heart is heavy now, I know that next year, this adventure will be even more special and meaningful. The delay has a silver lining in that there is more time to do fundraising for the Conservancies between now and  then. If you have any questions, please contact me.
Be safe and stay well.

I will be doing a presentation and slide show for the upcoming Kenya Conservancy Safari on Monday, March 9, 2020 at 2 pm and again at 7 pm. It will be at the Vision Travel Office  at 4480 West Saanich Road in the board room. Please contact Jackie Matthews or myself to let us know which presentation time is best for you. I can't wait to show you where we will be going!! Light appies and refreshments will be served.

This winter has been busy, invigorating and relaxing. One thing that visiting Kenya has taught me is that peace, quiet and stillness are incredibly important. The fundraising print that I had at my show raised enough to foster 6 baby elephants and a baby rhino with the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya. I can't wait to go back to see them all and foster more.
I have met some incredibly wonderful and inspiring people lately, all of them have, in some way, have lead me to aspire to do and be more. The Universe gives you what you need when you need it. Thank you to all who have crossed my path.
I've been preparing for multiple exhibits at the Coast Collective Arts Centre and several others for the year ahead, and an upcoming collaborative show as well. It is called  "Tides and Timbers" featuring a painter, three woodworkers, and myself and runs from March 11 to 22, 2020 at the Coast Collective. The reception is on Friday, March 13 from 7-9 pm. I hope to see you there!

Thank you to all who visited my exhibit "Effecting A Connection" last month! I loved meeting all of you and telling you about my work. When the Gallery was busy, I wasn't able to speak to all of you, but I truly appreciated you being there. 
I now have a display of 17 of my pieces at BC Premier John Horgan's Constituency Offices at 2806 Jacklin Road from Dec 1, 2019 until Jan 31, 2020.
The Juan De Fuca Recreational Centre also has 7 pieces on display until February 2020.
Please contact me if you wish to purchase any of the works that were at the Solo Show or in the current exhibits.
There are 3 pieces in the Westridge Gallery at Coast Collective Arts Centre as well.