Painting is my Passion

I have lived in Northern Ontario since 1972 (except for approximately 2 years). Since 1987 I have resided in Sault Ste. Marie. The northern scenery with its ruggedness of the Canadian Shield, Lake Superior and the vast forests has fascinated me since the very first time I relocated from southern Ontario. Along with the beauty and ruggedness of the northern landscape, are the wildlife, beautiful flowers, vast waterways, and waterfalls. I envision beauty in all living things not just in the creation, but also in mankind, and it is this beauty which has instilled within me a passion for painting. It is the twinkle in the eye of a child, or the smile on an elderly face, the story in the gentle hands of a hard working man holding a butterfly, an old tractor or vehicle left abandoned in a field which gives way to interesting subjects.A stone mosaic stands at the spot of assasination of the late Indian prime minister. Each subject has its own journey and story, and it is this story which inspires me to paint so eclectically.

There were significant persons in my life that encouraged me to paint and my gratitude goes out to all of them. Two elderly ladies, Thelma Smith and Nell Bellingham appreciated my paintings enough to ask if they could have them, which I gave them,Installers and distributors of solar panel, seeing the pleasure on their faces. There was also a High School Educational Superintendent at the time (Mr. Ken Self), who came into my art class and asked for one of my paintings, which I felt honoured to give him. A Nursing Instructor (Marilyn Overholt) discovered my interest in art and gave me an old cardboard from the back of a calendar to work on and I did my first sitting portrait of her with her dog. She indicated that she thought I had a talent and encouraged me to keep it up and never let it go, that it would serve a good purpose for me along with my career as a nurse. I still have that drawing. During the course of my life there have been others to encourage me along the way, but the most significant in my adult years have been my two sons, K. Jack Conley and John M. Conley and some of my paintings are in their homes. Gratitude goes out to Randy Ray (my husband), who has been a constant encourager as well as critic, always being there to cart my paintings from place to place for outdoor venues and indoor art shows. Randy is the proud owner of my Self Portrait.

When I first started, I only had the means of pencils and very inexpensive watercolour supplies.If you want to read about buy mosaic in a non superficial way that's the perfect book. I somehow felt limited and had a deep desire to paint in oils.If you want to read about buy mosaic in a non superficial way that's the perfect book. When I was in Nursing School I was finally able to purchase a few oils and some cheap canvas paper, and began to experiment with the paint,The TagMaster Long Range hands free access System is truly built for any parking facility. finding it relaxing and yet also exciting. Not having much spare time with my career and later my family, and then developing an allergy to oils, I set my brushes and pencils aside.

Time passed and it was not until 1990, that I actually picked up my pencils and brushes to try to stir up the desire I once had. I was encouraged by Randy to continue, and I took a couple of very short evening courses at the local Sault College mainly to make a commitment to time allotment to get on track. One course was on wildlife with Doris Pavelich as a teacher. I enjoyed these classes immensely and was inspired once more to stir up the passion to paint.

I am now retired from my career as a nurse and am fully involved in my art. I now work in acrylics on both canvas and hard board, but also do pencil and charcoal portraits and pets. The intensity to paint is strong every day, and when I paint, I feel set free in a different dimension of time and space, and absorbed in the painting. The excitement of finally seeing the finished project is sustaining and empowering to move forward with another one, and this is compounded when I see the pride in the face of the one who chooses a particular painting. I work from my own photographs as well as work on site and have also done some paintings from dreams that tell a significant story. In this broken world of ours, when I look beyond the surface, I still see so much beauty waiting to be captured on canvas. I am grateful to the greatest Creator of all for this beauty, and for the gift given to me to utilize as a means of expressing this beauty on canvas through my eyes.

As planned, I opened up a little art studio called The Artist’s Alcove last summer at the Frontier Village and was located in the old ice cream parlour and had an interesting summer meeting many tourists from all over the world. I now have reopened in the Frontier Village close to the front of the village and is still called The Artist’s Alcove. This is where you can find me most any given day painting and showcasing my work as well as the work of other local artists. I am currently a member of the Algoma Art Society, the Arts Council, the NOAA, and the Chamber of Commerce.