The Morningstar Painting

I’m a Canadian artist and designer based in Calgary AB, working primarily in encaustic wax. My work blends bright, textured layers with both figurative and abstract forms, often integrating mixed media such as oil, ink, and natural found objects. I paint on cradled wood panels, layering beeswax and pigment. While my full-time career is in UX and web design, visual art has always been part of my life. I’ve drawn and painted since high school, though for many years I stood slightly to the side of the canvas—designing websites and posters for artist friends rather than claiming the title of artist myself. That changed after a major life upheaval, when a period of physical and emotional recovery became a turning point. I turned to painting not just as a creative outlet but as a form of therapy and reconnection. Discovering encaustic painting felt like finding my voice again. The medium’s luminosity, texture, and physicality drew me in and allowed me to build on my foundational skills in a new, deeply intuitive way. Each piece is a process of layering, melting, revealing—mirroring the emotional depth that often fuels my creative practice. As the ninth of ten children in a large, supportive family, I draw strength from connection and community. My travels through Italy, Greece, Ireland, France, England, Scotland, Egypt, Jordan, Russia, and across Canada have deeply influenced my visual language and appreciation for history, material and place. I work from my studio at NVRLND in Calgary, where I continue to explore how art, memory and healing intersect.