She was born in 1939 - on the day that Canada joined Britain in the Second World War. Growing up in small farming communities in southern Alberta she got her teaching certification at the University of Alberta in the early 60's and then began teaching high school.  Once she had children, she continued to teach as a substitute teacher at elementary schools in Lethbridge.  Teaching is in the blood of the family, her mother, Beth Benson, was a lifelong elementary teacher, her daughter, Pam, became a special education teacher, and her granddaughter, Ashlyn, is now teaching elementary school in Minnesota. Her tenacity and strength is a source of wonder for her family and friends -- she has survived inoperable brain cancer, and following that, a brain aneurysm.  She's slowed down since then but continues to be a marvel of recovery and life.

​~ Kevin Konynenbelt

The way I've always preferred to work, even when I take a photo of a place or thing, is from sketches. There is something about simplifying an image down to lines and shadows that helps me to create something that feels a bit more 'painterly' to me. I can get bogged down in details, so removing those details really helps. The final image isn't usually a replica of a place but rather a painting of the feeling of that place. It helps me to loosen up. Whenever I have worked directly from a photograph I find that I become so critical of my painting that I can't get past making constant adjustments. I will occasionally refer back to a photograph, but more often with the purpose of viewing colours rather than replicating an exact image. It's that part of the creative process that I enjoy so much.

Currently I have six CityScapes in progress plus one that is complete and two are on the cusp of being finished. I'm really enjoying this switch in subject matter, though it certainly is more challenging for me. I am extremely organized in my daily life so my artwork is typically a bit more chaotic, which doesn't exactly work with architectural imagery, but I think it's good for me creatively. 

It really is a shift from focusing on people to working on something man-made and I am finding that this 'shift' is working well for me as I'm using a bit of a different colour palette and layering the colours a little differently. This is beginning to show up in my portraiture, which is a good thing. I find that whenever I try something new, it inspires something new. 

It has been a bit of a challenge, too, as I sprained my pinky finger so it's been taped to my ring finger, though I am fortunate it's on my left hand (non-dominant). It's interesting to learn how much I use every finger I use. Funny, actually. I think slowing down is helping me to make conscious decisions instead of just reacting while I paint, and I don't think that's a bad thing.