I have also taken the watercolor certification course with Sue Scheewe and have taken classes with many talented designers - Anne Karpf, Pam Gonnesson, Moe Shier, Anne Lalonde, and Tracy Moreau, to name a few. I am a Plaid ambassador, Delta support person, and a DecoArt helping artist.

I find my greatest inspiration and knowledge comes from the students that I have had the honor to teach. They have been my motivation, my inspiration and I truly believe I have learned as much from them as they have from me. Presently I teach at the two Michaels locations in Winnipeg, Travel teach and have a home studio, STROKES BY U.

I would like to introduce you to my partner in crime Elvira Tanner who started painting with me in 1998. She soon became indispensable to my studio - maybe because she was our wood cutter - but she prefers to believe it was her cheerful personality. She also likes to bring some order to my generally disorderly lifestyle. Elvira teaches at Michael's in Winnipeg, St.James location. She does the folk-art classes. Like me Elvira has been a nurse for many years, but unlike me she has retired to painting and generally enjoying life. I still pick up the occasional shift but much
less in the last few years.

The last active member in our trio is my daughter April. She is a computer assisted drafter is just finishing her certificate in interior decorating and had studied faux finishing with Gary Lord. She helps with our mural work and does consulting in home design, color schemes and accessories. She works for a design firm and does children's birthday parties for Michaels.

On a personal note I have a husband of 30 years, Curtis, who wants nothing to do with painting whatsoever, but supports whatever I want to do as long as he doesn't have to do it. He very cheerfully chauffeurs me all over the country for seminars and workshops and takes phone messages. I also have another daughter, Breanne, who is a nurse's aid presently working for her paramedic certificate; she does all my book work, cleaning, etc. in her spare time. Not that she has much.

That is about the lot of us excluding the two dogs, two cats and a parrot that live in my home, and the assorted four-legged grand-pets that live with my daughters. Of course I should also mention Paul, April's boyfriend, who can and well build anything if he has time.