December: 19 More Sleeps!

A new mural for a new restaurant—opening in January!

I searched... looking up and down for the perfect Oak Tree. Along the way, I learned there's many species other than my desired rounded lobed leaf. Red Oak, Swamp Oak, Turkey Oak, Northern Pin Oak, Bur Oak... until finally, I came across my live model with leaf samples galore—a little White Oak!

Found oak leaves

While you search for the perfect gifts this season, I hope it's a magical journey of sparkling discoveries. The stressful hustle and bustle can be relieved by noticing the little things. Enjoy a moment or more by: looking up into the sky when the snow starts to fall; going for a night time stroll to admire the neighbour's festive lights; singing carols while making holiday treats; or my favourite, sipping a warm drink with somebody dear. 

What do you love to do leading up to the holidays? 

Mini Pinecones $39 on Etsy

May you have a wonderful December that's happy and *BRIGHT*.

See you in the New Year!

Read December's full issue...


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Published in Format Magazine

As a creative professional, an online portfolio has been essential to show my work around the world and connect with new customers. 5 years ago, I built my website on Format and now, 5 years later, it was featured in their magazine article: 5 Designers Reveal How to Get Clients with Your Portfolio.

Read the full article here.

Painting Mountains on Grouse Mountain

With thanks to Devin Manky who made 3 days of painting come together in this exciting time-lapse! This was an incredible project—my favourite so far! Read about the full journey in my previous post A Mountain Mural at Grouse Mountain.

Being Botanical

Flowers in my DNA. As the season transforms it's colours, several projects have finished up while others are getting started. Between these different phases, the pace changed from painting on-site over the past several months to planning here at home. An opportunity opened up to reorganize and clear-up my space—until something unexpected happened...

Everything botanical blossomed into view. Autumn leaves started to fall, as I started an old habit of collecting them. I found a few cherished floral illustrations by my grandfather, which triggered me to draw more of my own. I pulled out old sketchbooks with drawings and pressed flowers, that revealed more ideas I'd like to pursue. A book called out to me at a bookstore, which happened to be filled with captivating botanical illustrations. I went to a Benjamin Moore event at Casa Loma, to find myself feeling quite at home in the conservatory!

I've had a little transformation myself, from being obsessively organized to allowing flowers to litter my floor. You'll find "art stations" set up around the room with several experiments being worked on at the same time. Unleashing my own rules has revealed a new creative method and a spectacular view through rose-coloured glasses.

The iheart is a monthly Art Letter. Read November's issue or subscribe for free to get it sent directly to your inbox.

Ryerson Grad Studies Mural Time-lapse

Artist Pam Lostracco paints a mural at the YSGS office featuring the winning entries of the GRAD 6-Word Contest, which asked "What are the best things about being a grad student at Ryerson?"

Outside the Box

Discovering Eastern + Carlaw inside-out. Far from my West-end hood, my first impression of this single corner of Toronto transformed as drastically as my traffic light box. I arrived with the intension of adding life to a lonely, gray intersection—only to discover how much life was already there! I began to realize there is a soul to every spot of the city—although some aren't as obvious until you get to spend a bit of time with it. 

Over 4 days of painting, the loud sounds of traffic were softened by dozens of friendly interactions. Pedestrians paused to ask questions, friends visited to say hi, joggers waved on their way to the Lakeshore, cyclists chatted while they waited for the lights to turn, and truck drivers gave thumbs up from their windows! The guys at Downtown Auto kindly gave me water and space to store supplies. CBC came by for an interview, followed by CTV a few hours later! Click here to see the clip

THANK YOU to all of you—and extra-special thank you's to: StreetARToronto for making our city so much brighter, Urban Barn for sponsoring me to do a second painting, and Benjamin Moore for supplying the beautiful paint. 

I'm just about to post the next Art Letter! Read the latest issue or sign up here to get it sent directly to your inbox.

A Boat, a Box, and BC

June’s Art Letter is here!

This months topics include:
*Muraling in the Mountains
*Views from a Boat
*Outside the Box Program

Read the latest issue or sign up here to get it sent directly to your inbox.

The iheart is a monthly, light-hearted, photographic Art Letter. 

Thank you for reading! 

A Mountain Mural at Grouse Mountain

Best job yet! Painting + traveling is my dream combination and it actually came true at Grouse Mountain Resort.

Here's the day-by-day progress of my latest mural adventure:

Day 1: Had a beautiful, sunny flight. Warmly picked up at the ferry and up the tram to my amazing cabin. Shown the chalet's wall and introduced to staff. Sorted out a few logistics then visited my grizzly mountain mates:

Flying to Vancouver, I saw the mountains from a higher perspective. 

Airport to train, to ferry, to car, to tram, to... my very own cabin!

Meeting some of the mountain wildlife.

Day 2: Thanks to jet lag, I was up before the café even opened! Started taping up the wall at 7:30am and had all the paint mixed by noon. Layer 1 complete:

Measuring and taping up the wall. 

Mixing the paints to create an even gradient in tones.

Day 3: A steady stream of visitors were coming through after hiking up The Grind. Some commented while others named out the mountains they recognized. Met one of the staff members who had life stories to tell. Layer 2 complete:

Admiring all the people coming through the chalet.

Met Willie, one of the staff standing in front of The Lions,
also known as The Sisters. 

Lots of progress today, only 1 more layer for tomorrow!

Day 4: Finished up the last layer of pine trees and Grouse Mountain's identifier. Patched a couple holes, painted the baseboard and final touch ups. It's finished!

This added detail is called The Cut, indicating Grouse Mountain.

Captured at work from above. (Photo by Ainslie Fincham)

Day 5: Since the mural was painted on time as planned, I spent a day in Vancouver. Sushi in Kitsilano, walk on the beach, saki tasting on Granville Island, boat taxi and the best gluten free pizza I've ever had at Bella Gelateria! Arrived "home" late to catch the last (empty) tram up the mountain:

Enjoyed a perfect day off in Vancouver with my friend Jacqueline.

Without any visitors on board, the tram ride back up the mountain
was eerily dark and silent, while the wind whistled through. 

Day 6: A slow morning to watch my surroundings deeply in a sketch. One last look at the real mountains and then the mountain mural, before I headed off back to the airport:

Savouring one last look at this spectacular view. 

Taking final photos of the completed mural. 

It was so much fun, I want to go back! If you're in BC and would like a mural for your home or business, email me here. Let's make it happen!

Let's make more murals!

Art = Nature

I have a theory. Tell me if it's true. I believe art and nature are the same and cannot exist without the other. Nature is an art in itself, creating perfect colour palettes and harmonious shapes. Within all its organic-ness is perfection. How can nature be wrong? It holds an endless supply of lines and patterns. Nature is a terrific source for artists to "draw" from.

My inspiration has always derived from the world I see around me. While going through my photos from Vietnam, I noticed this connection for other artists as well. A figure drawing class in the middle of (what seemed) an abandoned garden. A monk who found eternal youth and happiness from painting thousands of mountain scrolls. A boy who used large leaves as his paint palette. A Canadian example, the iconic style of The Group of Seven. The documentary Painted Land, shows how they loved the natural landscape and spent their lives painting it. It's hard to know which they loved more—painting or being in nature?

Homes and Gardens: 

Look who popped up at the Home and Garden Show!

My little garden-in-a-vase integrating with the Gold Bird Mural.

A sweet bunny adds fun decor to a hydrangea garden.

Beautifully designed metal palm trees by Designer Palms—
and they have coconut lights!

Ask me how to get your own garden mural...

Hanging with Trees: 

Sculpture Gardens at the McMichael Gallery. 

My friend Juli Lyons and I enjoyed a Spring afternoon photographing.

We walked among welcoming sculptures that seemed to
blend perfectly into the landscape.

A jar containing a Haiku poem hangs from each of the sculptures.

6 of The Group of Seven artists lay to rest here,
in a protective circle of rocks.

Check out my available nature-based artwork...

Art, Artists and Nature in Vietnam: 

Surprise Appearances in Gardens.

Mountains of mountain paintings made by a monk
(Dalat, Vietnam).

Nhat paints my portrait (Saigon, Vietnam). 

Mr. Thuc, the monk artist, looks much younger than his 65 years. 

Leaves used as a paint palette (Luang Prabang, Laos). 

Carving in the back garden of a restaurant run by an artist
(Kon Tum, Vietnam). 

This figure drawing class was completely hidden in the massive gardens of the Forbidden Purple City (Hue, Vietnam).

Follow the last month of my 1 year adventure on Instagram...

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Vitamin Sea

"The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination and brings eternal joy to the soul." —Robert Wyland

I just had an incredible break. For an entire week, I began each morning, with sunglasses on, and looked out onto a bright, beautiful view.

The air was so warm and the water so blue—it made me feel invigorated, alive and refreshed. The perfect escape from the cold—and... it was here, in Toronto!

No need to step on a plane to warm up those winter blues. Sweet Olenka's new shop on Queen West makes a fantastic selection of ice cream and chocolate, best eaten by the sunny beach mural!

The mural was painted onto a piece of fabric that hangs in front of a wall-sized light box. When backlit, the colours from the translucent fabric paint, illuminated the whole shop. 

The lights emitted heat, that felt like rays of sunshine on my face. I couldn't help but feel warm and cheery all day. 

Oh, and the couple of truffle breaks may have contributed to that feeling as well :) 

Would you like your own mural? Email me for your custom quote, or check out more murals on my website.