Bio
Cindy grew up in the Niagara Region in southern Ontario, Canada. Her family moved around a lot as a child and she experienced many new beginnings. She loved to draw and read like her Mother and began writing essays, short stories and poetry.
She studied to be a paralegal in college and worked in Niagara Falls, Ontario for several years. In 1991, she met an American, married and moved to Western New York where they had two children. Her love of prose led her to a position as a social editor at local newspaper where she managed the poetry page and wrote feature stories. While painting with her young daughter outside one day, she discovered she had a need to express herself in a more subtle way than writing. Since that time, she has sought out and studied with many artists, from Canada and the US,, whose artwork has inspired her, She's attended many plein air retreats and discovered she has a passion to paint and create.
She has held firm to the belief that "the teacher will come when the student is ready.," which is a lesson that she learned through her yoga practice and artistic ventures.
Her early influences included German artist Ernest Ludwig Kirschner and Canadian plein air painter Tom Thompson of the Group of Seven. It is the bold, colorful, geometric, playful, painterly strokes and palettes of these artists that inspire her. She gravitates towards the artists who depict her Canadian culture and landscapes and is humbled by the honesty and beauty of indigenous art as it evokes an emotion.. She loves the push and the pull of art, the contrast between soft and hard, outspoken and understated, a balance of subtlety and in your face.rawness.
In 2005, she joined together with seven hungry artists who had a passion to learn. They formed the Group of 8 at a local art gallery/studio. They met weekly (and still meet) to paint, chat, get advice and give critiques. They formed lifelong friendships and art is their bond.
In 2012, she created the Lamp Lighter Gallery & Studios where she offered a studio space for multiple artists, hosted gallery showings and openings, taught art lessons and formed an community for like minded artists.
"Art takes a lifetime to learn. and I have been voracious for a long time. I have a passion to create and play and I feel I have something to say.."