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I’m so excited to have found what seems to be my dream job, right here at Home! I’m originally from Saint John, New Brunswick (not Newfoundland!) & moved to Sioux Lookout in 2010 to be with my husband Dan. It is so wonderful to be given the chance to make a difference in the lives of our Youth by making fun art! Like the rest of the DCN Team, I too envision “a thriving media arts community in Northern Ontario”. I know that there is such an original perspective here since we’ve been less exposed to pop-culture. What primarily seems to influence our lives in Sioux Lookout, I would say, is enjoying the beauty of nature as well as overcoming cultural hardships together. The “art” of expression has power to make a positive impact on society, for example, by using various forms of media to draw attention to the calming effect of the North’s natural surroundings or to even break challenging human barriers such as shame.
About my creative talent: since I could pick up a crayon to presently at age 40 I have been exploring design, from detailed realism to cartoons. I enjoy learning new mediums and have completed projects in traditional mediums such as: graphite (mainly portraits), watercolor, oil, acrylic, plaster of paris & clay sculpture, wood cut relief prints, silver jewelry making & several murals. Then I wanted to make my art come to life! So then I became digitally savvy when I completed the Animation and Graphics Technology program at the New Brunswick Community College in Mirimachi, NB. I learned traditional animation (by hand), Flash animation (digital) & 3D animation, sound editing and much more. Ever fun too! Out of College, I worked as an animator for The Dept. of National Defence (at Base Gagetown), working in their Gaming Dept. for the Canadian Military and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s 3D simulation video game called “Direct Action”, as well as designing their necessary graphics and logos. It was a unique environment for an artist..like being on set of an action film actually! In Sioux Lookout I worked as the Production Director for the local newspaper, The Sioux Lookout Bulletin, where I designed ads & logos, as well as organized the entire layout of the Town’s newspaper. But my most challenging feat to date was painting a mural on a 200 sq ft. ceiling at a local church (I can sort of relate to Michelangelo now lol).
I know that The Digital Creator North Program will help so many young people, including myself 😉 to discover & explore their creative selves & helping them to simply enjoy their daily lives, which will in turn foster them to be a generation of inspiration!