Evolution of the Social Fabric

mixed media on paper ( was part of the Seniors Council art display at AWE in the fall of 2024)

We evolve slowly as the marginalized painstakingly stitch their way into the fabric of society, and the privileged work to keep them out.

Originally an essay written in the late 80s in response to the Harris cuts to social programs, Evolution of the Social Fabric has been manifested in visual art form on two separate occasions, as this state of affairs is a perpetual truth. 

Becoming

acrylic on cradled wood panel, 16” × 20”

This painting explores becoming through the image of plants growing inside a skeleton torso. The skeleton becomes a vessel for life. What appears empty instead holds the conditions for growth.

From within the skeleton’s bareness, plants emerge, suggesting inner work that is unseen but persistent. Growth pushes through cavities, transforming them into spaces of renewal.

The Rites of Februation

Acrylic on Canvas, 24” x 12”

The festival of Februalia, after which February is named, was held in the last month of the ancient Roman calendar. (Yes, March was the first month of the year.) It was a time of ritual purification and cleansing in preparation for spring to ensure good health and fertility.

The Gaze of the Becoming Prince

Photography

I am a frog, kiss me to become a handsome prince.

From the depths of the murky pond to the edge of the lily pad, witness the moment a drifter decides to become a Prince.

Stand Strong

Acrylic on Canvas, 18”x24”

“Stand Strong” reflects my desire to remain grounded in truth and integrity in a world that often pulls us off course. The mother goose stands firm — protective, steady, watchful — not out of fear, but out of conviction. Strength, to me, is not loud or forceful. It is rooted, resilient, and quietly unwavering.

SLOAN 8

Oil on canvas, 20” x 28”

Sloan was an eight-year-old when I asked her to pose for some photos that I could turn into a painting.  She jumped right into the assignment and into her grandmother’s Japanese maple and struck a pose that could melt hearts. 

Defiant and dramatic, she was becoming her own person. This was a delightful and challenging portrait for me. So glad we managed to keep it in the family.

Whispers of Becoming

Photography

Growth emerging quietly - Even the most weathered bark holds the secret of renewal. As the first green shoots pierce the surface, we watch the dormant strength of winter become the vibrant promise of Spring.

Let It Snow

Acrylic on Canvas, 20”x20”

My house in Saskatoon backed onto a park in which there was a hill perfect for sledding & tobogganing. I could watch the kids from my patio door. And, even on the frostiest days, they’d bundle up and head for that hill. It was a beautiful sight.

Self Portrait in a Time Machine

Oil on canvas , 18” x 24”

This self portrait took decades to become what it is today. It started as a charcoal sketch on canvas when my kids were in preschool and for some reason I abandoned it in favour of another. I kept the canvas and stored it down the basement when we moved. Then decades later ,while looking for a new project, I brought it upstairs and decided to finish it. Not sure how to proceed with my new older face I use a hand held mirror and my imagination to create this innocent peasant girl, all wide eyed and dewey and since the canvas had too much head room I stuck our Christmas ribbon on her head. The whole project took me months. Actually probably a year as I learned to paint a portrait again.

Quite An Internal Moment of Becoming

Photography

The hands holding the open book, the soft light, the stillness it captures a quiet internal moment….a pause where something unseen is shifting, a sacred quiet, where becoming begins one page at the time.

Sister Carmen

Oil on Canvas, 23” x29”

Painting a portrait of a loved one can become a journey of change and evolution over the years. My portrait of my sister Carmen underwent several transformations as I rediscovered myself as a painter, and my sister as the beauty she was and is becoming. Carmen had lived many years in Mexico. It was a defining period in her evolution, so I chose a style inspired by the illuminating work of one of Mexico’s most renowned artists, Frida Khalo.