Growing up in Cape Breton meant the ocean was part of my family. Its salt collected on everything I touched, and all I knew.

My dad was a fisherman and my lungs breathed the fresh, mossy air he brought into every room. When I think about painting the sea, it’s the Atlantic Ocean that forms in my mind’s eye. Its dark waters never stop, they’re never settled. A bit like me. 

I've painted the Cabot Trail before, but I've always wanted to capture it in the fall. If you’ve had the pleasure of visiting during this season, you’ll know that the bright oranges and yellows that consume the hills create something almost ethereal. It’s begging to be painted. So I did. Again 😄

And I know I’m partial to Cape Breton, but the East Coast of Canada is full of brilliant spots. I created a piece inspired by some hikes I did around Halifax, a jaw dropping sunset in Western Nova Scotia, as well as one from Prince Edward Island. I can't wait for you to see them all.

Don't get comfortable just yet, we have more stops to make.

Tofino. Even the name invokes a magnitude few other coastal spots inspire. I’ve been to Tofino twice, for very different reasons. The first time I visited I was going to meet my partner’s Dad, who lived on the eastern side of Vancouver island. We took a winding road trip that weekend from Comox to Tofino just to put our toes in the sand. It was his first time touching the ocean and my first time touching the Pacific. If you ever need to bond with your future father-in-law, this is the way to do it.

The second time was during the pandemic. Travel is essential to my art, but with flights shut down I had to cancel my plans. Instead of moping around (for long), I hopped into my car and drove from Edmonton to Vancouver Island. Despite the anxiety of the times, being surrounded by the dense forests and misty beaches brought me peace and, at the risk of sounding dramatic, felt like the first breath I’d taken in months. 

Tofino is a powerful place and it’s probably why I painted it twice for this collection.

Don't you dare put your feet up! We have to keep going ✈️

I’ve travelled up and down the American West Coast several times and it never fails to inspire me.

I recently painted a collection in the Pacific Northwest, but I wanted to return to the place I’d visited first—Big Sur.

It was another trip with my friend that also included a lot of wine (trend?) and embarrassing photos taken by a winery tour guide, but that’s for another time.

No matter the occasion, it’s impossible to ignore Big Sur. Driving this stretch of coast gave me shades of the Cabot Trail, but where the Atlantic often feels dark and moody, the Pacific is bright and catches the sun in a way that makes you feel lighter. Big Sur, jutting out into the sea, making itself known, always feels a bit like a camera (canvas) hog, but not without reason. It's stunning, jaw-dropping, and begs you to pull over on the side of the road to paint.

I did then. And I do now.

Onto our final leg and it's a doozy. Luckily, you can nap on the beach when we arrive.

Finally, we’re heading to Eastern Europe to Croatia. I was lucky enough to call this country home for one month and memories of its beauty and quirks come rushing back to me all the time.

Walks on the soft, white beaches, chatting with locals, swimming out into the cool blue Adriatic, were daily occurrences that I never tired of (who would?)

Right outside my door, a stretch of empty beach washed with aquamarine water and creamy froth would lull me into a trance that I've wanted to go back to in my work for years. Each day, a small wooden boat would slowly push away from the dock and bob gently in the waves. It felt lonely, but comforting in the way it stared down each wave before floating over it and preparing for the next. Inevitably, a storm would roll in causing the waters to grow choppy and the clouds to turn dark.

I painted this boat in the storm before, but this time I wanted to capture the beauty, the calm, the optimism of the water.

In the end, that’s what makes it stand out to me. And I hope it stands out to you too.