"Cindy with Kanaloa mask" Painting

I was born in Mombasa, Kenya. My family migrated to Canada when I was three, we settled in Penticton, B.C. As a child, I did lots of drawing and "art",but when I was a teenager I read about Vincent van Gogh which inspired in me the notion to be an artist..I attended the University of Victoria, Victoria, B.C. from 1978 to 1982, earning a B.F.A., having majored in visual arts. It was at university that I started creating three-dimensional figures, initially made out of paper. In 1982 I travelled for six months in Europe, spending most of my time in art museums. The experience of Renaissance, Baroque, Realist, Impressionist and Expressionist art seen in all its glory had a great impact on me and has shaped my art a great deal. In 1983 I joined Xchanges and have been involved with the artist co-operative ever since; until just recently was the president of this artist-run centre. My first interactive paintings were created in 1998 and, in various forms, have been the focus of my art practise ever since. I focus on interactive painting because they make time an element of painting, and provide the viewer with the opportunity to make choices. My paintings have been exhibited in solo exhibitions in Canada and group exhibitions in Canada and the USA. My work is in private collections in Canada, the USA, and England