Blake Richardson Episode #10: River Of Life

Establishing himself as an interdisciplinary Artist Blake studies the Canadian landscape in a way that would surprise you. He uses what he sees in the rocks, the trees, the water, and everything around him, to create another image. One that contains multiple pictures that broaden the imagination of everyone that comes into contact with them.

These prints, paintings, photos become a tool that when displayed in shops, galleries, and ultimately individuals homes create a dialogue. Guests and family members discuss what they see, how they see it and all that it conjures up. They become stories in themselves. Something to share both at home and in the community, people begin to help each other see these hidden images. Asking questions, and sharing their vision.

Blake stumbled across this technique while illustrating an assignment at Sheridan College, in Oakville, Canada. Attempting to visualize how he felt while painting and listening to music it stirred up the idea of identifying search and find images outside. He studies these images for hours to find these secret animals an shapes. Finding some of his greatests inspirations here. 

Podcast Credits:

Audio Links from Blake Richardson
Podcast by Carolyn Botelho

Connect with Blake Richardson: https://blakerichardson.com/

Transcript

(0:14) Hey everyone, welcome back to the Creatively Thinking podcast. Join (0:20) Carolyn Botelho as she uncovers the inspirations behind some incredibly (0:25) creative minds that are orbiting our local communities. Hello Blake (0:31) Richardson, how are you? I am so happy to have you on the show.

You are an (0:37) award-winning visual artist who loves to use the Canadian landscape as your (0:42) subject matter. You have a unique skill you learned when you graduated from (0:48) Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. Can you share with our audience (0:53) what this skill taught you? Well, hi Carolyn.

Yeah, I went to Sheridan College (1:07) in the illustration program there and it was in my last year at Sheridan College (1:16) that I took on a project illustrating songs that I'd written and my idea was (1:24) just to listen to the music and splash paints to the music and just to see what (1:31) would come of that. It was kind of an experiment and so it started with a (1:37) series of illustrations where I was interpreting imagery that I saw (1:43) emanating from these ink and paint splashes by drawing on the surface of it (1:49) to enhance what I was seeing there and I really loved that process. I loved it (1:56) because it was like a springboard for my imagination and I wanted to explore that (2:02) further and photography was part of the course that I was taking and I 

(2:09) started using my camera then to explore other textures and that's when I (2:13) stumbled on to like a depth of imagery emanating from trees and rocks and at that (2:22) point a light bulb kind of came on and I thought, wow, I don't know of anybody (2:26) really exploring this and it got me really excited.

So that started my (2:33) journey, a journey that I'm still on now 40 years later but I had no idea, you (2:42) know, what I discovered at that point. I just knew that I found something unique. (2:48) Maybe at that point I found my path in life.

At that point I was living in (2:56) Port Credit. I was still living at home where I grew up in Port Credit and I was 

(3:01) going down to the Credit River to photograph nature in that area and I (3:07) grew up in that area so the Credit River was really a place, a natural space that (3:14) I'd go to often for inspiration. That's awesome.

I like to ask every artist what (3:27) led them down this career path? Was it loving self-expression, being in touch (3:32) with your emotional well-being, working with your hands or something else? I (3:39) think I always knew that I was an artist. I was very drawn to creating and I (3:48) knew that that's what I wanted to do as a career. Like early on as a child I'd (3:55) always been going in that direction and telling people that this is what I (4:01) want and I think my parents knew that that's what I, that's the direction I (4:07) wanted to go.

I don't think they knew how I could make money at it so I think (4:11) choosing illustration was kind of more of a practical way of making money at (4:23) being an artist. So that's why I chose the illustration course but I actually (4:30) struggled at illustration for years and my work took on more of a fine art (4:35) direction but I think that's the direction it was always meant to go in. (4:41) Yeah, the illustration field, it seems like more of a practical choice, you (4:47) know, to please the parents, right? Yeah, I mean I didn't know how I was going to (4:54) make a living at being an artist so that was a good start and it did get (4:59) me going in the right direction.

Like I freelanced as an illustrator, you know, (5:05) for advertising agencies and doing editorial and book illustration but yeah (5:13) like I say I kind of struggled at that because I was really focused on this (5:17) style that I'd been exploring and that's what I was shopping as an illustrator (5:22) and art directors were having a hard time getting their head around it just (5:27) because it was so different so they took it very literally. Yeah, I could see (5:39) that they wouldn't really know how to sort of place that in (5:43) advertising or graphic design, right? Yeah, I was getting a few jobs (5:51) here and there in editorial and in book illustration but yeah literally one (5:59) of the jobs was, hey Blake, we finally found a job for you. It's a book about an (6:05) image coming out of a tree, you know.

I was like, oh okay, well you know I can do (6:10) other things too but that does sound appropriate. (6:15) Jumping forward to today, your style has evolved to become more another sort of (6:21) entity that encourages others to see differently. How would you say since (6:27) graduation you have seen your style progress? Shortly after graduating from (6:35) Sheridan, my parents actually bought some land up on Stoney Lake and so this was (6:42) one of the first areas that I found myself exploring the trees and rocks in (6:48) in that area and I saw this this depth of imagery in that environment and I (6:54) became more aware of a historical site on Stoney Lake or just up Eels Creek off (7:02) of Stoney Lake, the Petroglyphs Provincial Park there and when I looked (7:09) into the origin of that site and how cultures would go out into nature and (7:16) seek out vision in nature, I made a really strong alignment with that and (7:22) and saw that what I was doing, you know, had been done before.

It may be in a (7:28) different way but seeking out imagery and visions in nature was like an (7:35) ancient quest and it was something that kind of sparked this new excitement in (7:43) my work and I started to, because 

I saw this strength of imagery in those (7:47) environments, I started to follow other rock sites, rock art sites, so areas where (7:53) there were evidence of pictographs and petroglyphs and I went to those areas (7:59) and photographed those environments to try to see what I could see in those (8:03) environments but also to develop a sensitivity for, you know, why they chose (8:07) those areas and what they may have felt. So a lot of the imagery, a lot of my (8:14) images would be coming from areas like that where there is evidence of rock art (8:19) sites like historical sites and over time my vision evolved, like I could see how (8:27) what I was seeing like say 10 years ago or 20 years ago is different than how (8:35) I'm seeing now and if I had to say exactly how that I would say that what I (8:41) was seeing early on was more distorted, almost caricature-like, and over time it (8:49) became more realistic in proportion. So it's like you're seeing like (8:58) other images in the natural sort of environment, like you think you're, is it (9:05) sort of like a spiritual sort of imaging that you're seeing or just a deeper (9:11) understanding of what you're seeing? Can you? Well I think we've all really (9:20) experienced this because we've all, like especially as children, like people often (9:28) when they see my work it reminds them of their childhood because what I'm doing is (9:32) just like looking at a cloud and seeing something in it.

You know you're looking (9:37) at a natural form and it's inspiring your imagination and you're interpreting (9:44) what you see. So I think what I'm exploring is very universal in something (9:50) that we've all done. I've chosen to go really deep into the exploration of this (9:59) like a depth of imagery that I see emanating from multiple forms like I think when people (10:08) see things in clouds there and in trees too and even picking up rocks that look like (10:13) hearts shapes and things like that.

Like there's a lot of people that still do that but it is (10:19) something that I think we're most open to as children. Yeah because I think it is an (10:28) openness that allows you to be receptive to that. And sort of an ignorance in a sense because (10:35) when we get older we're conditioning ourselves to think more practically and more you know (10:44) we're conditioning ourselves to use less of our imagination as we get older.

Yeah and I think (10:52) another thing like when we're when as really young children when we're out in nature everything's (10:58) magical and the labels that we eventually put on everything are less defined when we're younger. (11:08) So when we look at a tree it's just magic and anything's possible until the point (11:16) where we become we label that and say that's a tree you know or this is just a rock. (11:21) I'm trying to open people more back up to the possibilities of it being much more than that.

(11:31) So I'm going to wander around your career so you'll have to have to follow along. (11:38) While I was researching you I saw a number of years ago you were in the news on Global (11:44) for your earth art. How did this opportunity come about? Well when I first moved to Peterborough like (11:54) I lived in Toronto for several years before moving from Port Credit to Toronto and then (12:04) my wife and I moved from Toronto to Peterborough when we decided to have a family and buy a home.

(12:12) And Peterborough was like very close to the Stoney Lake area like where I found a lot of (12:20) inspiration so I was really drawn to this area too. I was asked to be part of a in-studio series 

(12:30) through Chex which is actually a global network station or local Chex television and so (12:40) I did a series or I did a segment for that series and a lot of those segments were done (12:49) in artist studios but I actually had them do it out in nature because I said like this is my studio (12:55) out here in nature this is where I do most of my work is it's just out here exploring so it was a (13:00) lot of fun. Yeah and since then I've had spots with Chex and Global News for (13:10) that we've I've worked with local theatre collectives and putting on some performances (13:18) that we promote on local television.

I've also done a spot for breakfast television so (13:25) just like wherever opportunities pop up kind of like this podcast you just reach out to me and (13:31) say hey do you want to do this and I'm like okay sounds great. 

Yeah that's nice. I'm open.

(13:39) You also have had some experience exploring music with YouTube videos in your creative practice (13:46) or was this connected with your earth art as sort of a new medium or is it purely the (13:52) technique you learned early on? Well yeah it started really early on I think (14:03) an artist early on like I always knew that I also explored music. I actually don't read music (14:11) I explored it very intuitively so just kind of playing around with it with instruments (14:18) and writing songs and so I was I've been a songwriter and as I explained earlier 

(14:28) it kind of all started with my music when I decided to illustrate songs that I'd written (14:32) and now when images come to me that actually inspires lyrical poetry (14:43) in the process of understanding what this image held for me on my journey (14:50) and so now it's kind of come where the images that are coming to me are inspiring the music (14:58) so it's kind of like a creative cycle but music has always been part of that and (15:04) yeah like I say then yeah that sounds really good collaborating with other people cyclical kind of (15:11) way of working. While researching you I discovered you your work to be in over 30 different galleries (15:20) or stores across the country.

This is quite successful and prolific. If you were to give (15:27) any advice to artists just starting out what would it be? Was there anything you learned you (15:34) wish someone would have told you from the start? Well a lot of those stores and galleries were (15:49) contacts that I made through doing wholesale and retail shows. A lot of the income that I (15:58) is that I have throughout the year is generated through doing arts and crafts festivals (16:03) and one of them in the past I actually don't do this wholesale show or haven't done it (16:11) but wholesale shows where galleries and store buyers come to view your product and I developed (16:19) a product that I think would work well in a store.

But I think things have changed (16:27) so much like as ways of you know self-promotion with social media. (16:36) Like that wasn't always there on my journey early on that that didn't exist so I was actually out

 (16:43) I would go to towns too I just go on road trips and I'd have like a package of you know display (16:50) that I'd put together like I put together these driftwood displays with my earth prints in them. (16:57) And then I'd go out to and find a store within a town like just one so that they're (17:02) it's in one unique environment within that place and I'd hopefully hit the buyer at that time and (17:13) I'd just reach out to them and show them my work and say well you know I'm here now and (17:19) you know if you're interested then you know I think this would be a really good (17:23) place and I was really successful doing that like actually just choosing areas (17:28) that I thought would work well with my work and kind of cold calling on these (17:34) galleries and stores and it was kind of fun like it was spontaneous.

(17:41) Yeah it kind of sounds like an adventure just okay here's where my work is going to do well you know (17:47) like just kind of figuring it out as you go kind of yeah yeah. (17:52) Working with nature and creating pieces for clients for their home decor (17:57) have you seen any changes to your creative practice? (18:01) Have you noticed any consistency with these clients or any similarities? (18:07) Has their love of the Canadian landscape created any stereotypes? (18:13) That's a few questions all at once I know. (18:19) Well people who are drawn to my work usually are drawn to it because they love nature.

(18:30) Visually my work is very natural looking. (18:34) So a lot of people have found like when they look at my work they think oh this would be great (18:40) for a cottage environment. So I found that people have kind of (18:48) thought that my work would really work well in that environment which I think it does.

(18:53) Because it's very interactive and it's very conversational and engaging. It's almost like (19:00) my search and inspire earth prints I'm referring to and so people want to share that with their (19:09) guests coming into their homes and I think the cottage is a really good environment because (19:15) like ultimately what I'm trying to do is exercise an awareness with nature and when you're in a (19:22) place of reflection like that like the cottage it's a good place to trigger that because I (19:28) want to you know kind of open that up in people to remind people of that side of themselves so (19:35) that when they're out in nature it just makes them think you know what am I not seeing here (19:40) and to open up to what it might speak to them individually. (19:44) Yeah yeah exactly if you have them already in nature then then the sort of (19:51) place where they're at in the in the cottage it's the perfect perfect space.

(19:58) Yeah to trigger that. (20:02) And we'll be right back. (20:41) And then you just kind of led into the this question with your other answer but that (20:47) that's totally awesome.

So many stores and galleries over the years have indicated (20:52) how your work captivates their clients in unique ways as they create a community sharing and (20:59) advising each other on how to find hidden animals. Why did this become a motif in your work? What (21:09) caused you to make this essential element beyond capturing the beauty in nature? (21:17) I guess you kind of already answered that. (21:21) Well I think I should probably just take a moment to describe.

(21:27) Yeah yeah that's good. (21:32) Describe what we're talking about here the search and inspire difference. 

So (21:38) as I say my work has been interpreting imagery in nature but and and in the process of doing arts (21:48) and crafts festivals I've always been trying to involve people in the process.

So it started with (21:53) images in rocks and trees where I would put the original photograph on the back and say (21:59) you know here's the photograph of the tree this is what I saw and like can you see how I'm (22:05) interpreting that to engage people in the process. And they'd say like yeah but actually and then (22:10) the original photograph would still be there but people would say yeah but I see something else (22:15) you know. So which I think is great that's why I always make sure that the original photographs

(22:20) there so that people can look at it and see what they see in it.

And then I found myself (22:30) along the journey stones started coming to me in the shapes of different animals and (22:38) and I found myself out there searching for those. So that's the series where I called (22:43) this series of images my earthen sculptures and I really wanted to involve people in that (22:51) part of what I was doing. So I kind of fused the two and in a way I started photographing (22:58) environments and then bringing out what I see so subtly that when you look at it you don't (23:03) see anything like hours and hours like weeks and months of work that goes into these because (23:10) there's hundreds of well not hundreds but over a hundred images in most of these search and (23:16) inspire earth prints.

When I'm at shows I usually have like one image as a prompt so I'll say well 

(23:27) can you see the unicorn in this or the howling wolf like I'll choose one image that I think (23:36) people probably won't see time to challenge people and then they go deeper and they and they (23:42) say well no but I see this and I see this and I well I see this and they go well where is that (23:48) unicorn you know and then it takes them even deeper. Actually it didn't start that way initially (23:54) I was I came out with this series and I and I would have to actually show people I'd say (24:00) well did you see this and they say oh yeah oh no I didn't see that and and I said well did you (24:06) see this and and they said uh no I didn't see that and and so it was really difficult to get (24:13) people to go deep into my work to see the depth of imagery that I was bringing out so this works 

(24:19) really well to like choose one image that that will elude them for quite some time (24:26) and and then I also try to leave a window for people's imagination so when I'm studying the (24:35) photograph which I usually take about three weeks studying the photograph to see what I can see in (24:40) it before I and then I begin the process of starting to define what I want to bring out (24:47) because I have to decide whether or not I'm going to bring it out or if I'm going to leave it (24:51) open for the viewers because I'm very conscious that when I draw people deep into this process (25:01) their imaginations will be inspired too which is really amazing like I I love it when people see (25:08) things in there that I would never see because they have their own unique perspective and then 

(25:16) they raise awareness from their perspective and they say well like they'll see their own (25:21) unicorn in it or something and they go well is this a unicorn I'm going uh like what do you see (25:26) in there and they'll say well that's that's the unicorn isn't it I go uh it kind of looks like (25:33) a unicorn like I I never saw that but I think you're having a vision and I love telling people (25:39) that they're having visions yeah and and but as soon as people show me what they see in there (25:50) they and and I see it then they've made an imprint because once you've seen something you can't (25:56) unsee it so I love that these pieces kind of evolve over time and because there's such a 

(26:03) depth of imagery in there people will stare at these images for a long time so it really engages (26:11) people in that process and I in leaving that window open for people's imaginations I always tell (26:20) people that you know when you get this in your home it it starts to reflect things that your (26:26) friends will see it'll start to reflect things that that you saw that I never saw so depending (26:32) on the environment that it's in it evolves differently depending on who's looking at it (26:37) and I love that yeah yeah it does sound really engaging for for everyone to just (26:47) bring in their own imagination yeah all ages too like kids are very drawn to my work (26:56) um like it's just something kids get what I do (27:03) but also they just love games and and they're very observant and um but also you know I just 

(27:12) sold the piece to have in in the foyer of a retirement home and they thought this would (27:20) be great for our residences to to just you know gather around and kind of talk about and reflect (27:27) on um so yeah like all ages yeah just continue seeing uh just so many different animals shapes (27:41) you know just and it just keep growing yeah yeah and it really never ends that's what I love about (27:53) it because like I've had some of my images um and I because and I do like only create (28:03) one search and inspire image a year because they're quite involved um the rest of the year (28:09) I'm creating my earth and sculptures so it almost reflects my whole journey like the images that (28:18) have come to me over the years and they continue to evolve so there's like every time like I say (28:25) somebody points out something in it that I never saw then it kind of just renews again 

(28:32) it's constantly evolving that way yeah it almost sounds like a mosaic of everyone's (28:37) imagination of overlapping and you know just uh new animals and shapes and just (28:46) just overlapping over time right yeah yeah yeah where do you see your career in 10 years (28:55) do you see yourself continuing in North America going to the U.S. or venturing into Europe for (29:01) different or newer landscapes for more of a challenge or to have a wider reach creatively (29:11) um I'm very open to opportunities and I'm drawn to a lot of historical sites throughout the world (29:26) ancient rock art sites and megalithic sites like Stonehenge like if the opportunity presents itself

 (29:34) I would go to places like that in a heartbeat just to explore what I saw there but I also feel (29:41) there's so much here in Canada to explore it's almost yeah unexhaustible and I love this land (29:49) and and I love that my work reflects the spirit of this land I mean I'm always thinking of new ideas (29:58) of you know where I'm going to go what I'm going to explore because it's not it's not only landscapes (30:02) that I'll explore like I do want I want to explore other elements like I've explored what I saw in in (30:08) water but I could go deeper into that I I want to explore a little bit more into fire um I've I have (30:15) a fire image but um but I could go deeper into that element and explore what I saw in that I just (30:21) um I just came out with a new product that I call uh the unearth art oracle

 (30:30) it's not brand new as um initially I came out with one of them during the pandemic when everything (30:36) shut down and all the shows shut down and and I was just faced with okay what do I do now (30:45) and I think I obviously wasn't alone with that we were all in that (30:49) but um so I went really deep into this this one kind of standing stone um that I spent (30:57) months on interpreting what I saw like all the way around it was a self-standing piece (31:05) and that one has has since sold but I I was wondering whether or not I would ever have the (31:12) time to dedicate towards doing another piece like that but this year I decided that it isn't really (31:21) important to to do deep work like that and and I needed to set aside the time um and I do have this (31:29) time usually January February March in the winter when I kind of go into hibernation and create (31:37) and um and so this year I spent the first couple months just working on a new earth art oracle 

(31:44) like a 360 all the way around the stone and um and my my goal is to create one of these (31:54) a year around that that same time and reveal it at spring time. (31:59) So are these like uh sort of just large rocks that you find and you kind of bring home kind of thing? (32:07) Yeah put in my backpack they're pretty heavy too like this this one that I just did (32:11) it was it was a good haul um and it has to be self-standing so it has one of the um edges of (32:20) has to be flat so that it will it will sit and so it's pretty hard to find the stone that (32:27) that has that characteristic um so I have to find that and then um um and then study it and (32:36) and interpret what I saw.

I don't know if you've seen that earth art oracle I just came out with it (32:42) pretty recently. No I don't think I have seen that one yet. Because I do a lot of um (32:51) and this is something that happened throughout the pandemic too was (32:54) I started to well we all had to kind of figure out how to our online presence which for me was 

(33:01) um not really developed that much because I was out there doing shows like actually retail shows (33:08) and engaging with people so it was kind of an opportunity to give more focus to my online (33:15) online presence and um and then also you know um advertising well promoting myself through (33:24) social media so um I started to once again try to engage people in the process so um (33:38) it was I was mostly creating my earthen sculptures because I found that it was really (33:43) difficult to get across the um search and inspire earth prints because people are just (33:48) moving too quickly online and they aren't going deep into something like they're not taking the (33:54) time to really see things to the level where I'm bringing it out um so I found that um 

(34:03) that my focus went to my earthen sculptures and what I would do was I would um post a stone (34:10) before painting it and say hey what do you guys see in this I'm painting what I see (34:17) people would um engage in the process of interpreting like what they saw and a lot (34:23) of people would see what I saw but it was an exercise for me too to um expand my own (34:29) kind of limited perspective and see things through other people's eyes and imaginations (34:38) which which I think is pretty interesting and very almost intimate way of of um (34:46) meeting somebody like to see through their imagination people are commenting and they're (34:51) and I'm really trying to see through their perspective so when people are commenting (34:56) all these things I go through all the comments and I'll say oh you saw that hey like I had (35:00) and then it always amazed me how the stone would just accept that their perspective and I'd say (35:05) oh yeah like I see it now that you said that like just the power of suggestion it becomes 

(35:12) whatever people see in that and that amazes me too so um so that's really how I engaged people (35:20) in the process and then I would post the finished um stone I'd say well this is what I saw and I'd (35:25) post it and um and I started getting sales through um the through Facebook actually mostly (35:31) because I found that I needed those those captions that I Instagram and some of these (35:38) um well mostly Instagram um people don't really read the captions as much as they do on Facebook (35:45) so so it really started to um engage people more on on the Facebook platform and that's how I (35:54) started generating sales like all over the world um through Facebook yeah it's quite amazing what (36:00) can be done with social media these days I mean it can be a little a little exhausting too (36:07) because I'm just not used to that but um yeah but fun too yeah and it's like you're you're 

(36:15) speaking a sort of secret language with these people that that you're just meeting for the (36:20) first time right and that that yeah probably is really strange yeah it's it's almost like it (36:27) transcends language like people are just sharing their imagination um and it and because (36:34) some people actually didn't speak English that were commenting on it too but but they (36:39) but I could go in and see the translations of you know what they saw in it so regardless of (36:46) your language um it's kind of like a universal visual way of seeing the world around us (36:57) transcends language yeah yeah and that's I didn't really yes exactly like I was thinking like (37:03) yeah maybe I shouldn't use the word language but but it's like it's just a way of communicating 

(37:08) without words yeah and it's like it's yeah that an intimacy that you wouldn't expect especially (37:14) with people you you don't you don't even know and it's like you're inviting them into (37:19) the creative energy that you have for these pieces and then and then they're connecting (37:26) in there with you because of what they're seeing yeah and and I always have to remind people that (37:34) I'm not asking them to guess what I saw because after I post the finished the finished piece (37:42) people go oh I was wrong and I'm going no you're you weren't wrong and thanks for sharing your (37:47) perspective um you just have a different perspective you know and and I I saw what (37:54) you saw like so so yeah I have to always remind people it's not yeah like it's it's completely 

(38:04) open for to to see what this stone is speaking to them um to exercise their way of seeing and (38:14) I don't want them to think that it's wrong I want them to like just open up to it and (38:21) and um kind of be amazed by what the stone is yeah there's no right or wrong it's it's uh (38:28) yeah that's what they see are there any particular outcomes you are aiming for (38:36) your artwork to achieve aside from being purchased by clients in other words what (38:42) do you expect from the conversations you know your art is creating is it pure appreciation (38:49) wonderment discovery or healing or all of the above well the process of creating this work (39:02) is very therapeutic for me because I go quite deep into uh reflection and the work does take 

(39:14) quite a bit of time to unfold so so it's very mindful and um almost meditative like I think (39:25) I'll whenever I'm creating whether it be with music or with visual art I try to get into this (39:34) low of creating like a creative flow where you lose sight of yourself you lose sight of time (39:43) like you just kind of come out of it and think oh my god I haven't eaten for four hours you know or (39:52) you know you just you lose yourself in it it's very therapeutic for me but turns out that the (40:00) process of how it unfolds to the viewer is very therapeutic for them as well and it's not something (40:08) that I actually ever experience how my work unfolds and once again I am referring referring (40:15) to the search and inspire earth prints where there's this depth of imagery that takes time to (40:23) to reveal to the viewer and for everybody that's a different journey I think because one person will 

(40:30) see an image first but another person might see a different image first so they go through (40:35) the piece everybody goes through it differently and we'll be right back (40:56) but what I have found that that people who are drawn to my work are drawn to it for that reason (41:04) and they get ideas of you know how they could use this as a tool within their own practices (41:12) you know calm people down because it is very mindful and meditative almost even the process (41:19) of how it unfolds so what I have found is that a lot of therapists have told me that they use my (41:26) work as a tool within their practice I mean I mentioned before that the kids are very drawn to (41:33) my work and a lot of teachers find that my work is a great tool within classrooms to well to calm (41:41) kids down but also it is an exercise of an awareness with nature and I think we're all 

(41:47) trying to encourage a connection with nature in a time where there's so much distracting (41:55) so much with technology it it can really distract children and and disturb that connection with (42:04) the natural world and I've also been told that guidance counselors are using my work (42:11) I had this one guidance counselor that came to me and said well she had just retired and she (42:16) said I just wanted to thank you because I had one of your images in my office and (42:20) over the years I'd have students come in and I'd just direct them to your piece and I'd say well (42:26) you know see what you can see in there like they come in all upset and crying and and I just direct (42:31) them to your piece and and I'd leave them for for a few minutes just on their own and I come back (42:38) and and half the time they're ready to go back to class and they're just going oh that was really 

(42:42) cool you know so I it was they found that it was a great redirection tool and because it holds your (42:49) attention for a long time it you you it draws you away from repeating negative thoughts and it kind (42:57) of dissolves them away because the nature element has this calming quality and that's that's another (43:05) reason why therapists like it so much I've also had surgeons there was these two brain trauma (43:13) surgeons that found me at the one of a kind show and they ran a clinic in Toronto called pathways (43:19) and they bought my spirit path image which is a pathway with a light at the end of it that's the (43:25) one where I say can you see the unicorn and so they they thought this would be great for our waiting (43:31) room which a lot of doctors do like them for their waiting rooms because it is something that you (43:36) know like when people are waiting it it's a good activity for people but they they came back and (43:42) they said you know we have to tell you this story because we put your image in our waiting room and 

(43:50) then we noticed some of our patients post-surgery through their rehabilitation progress they were (43:57) struggling with some of the exercises that we were putting them through but they were engaging with (44:02) your piece and so we we thought well you know if they're engaged they're engaging with this then (44:09) let's bring this into our therapy room and then they said they said so we we did that and it's (44:15) become like a really effective tool for us to work with our patients because it's kind of (44:19) non-threatening it's people are recognizing things so they're making connections so it's kind of (44:25) reconnecting those neural pathways and it's very calming at the same time and I thought well this (44:31) is amazing I love that my work is is helping people so beyond the fact that you know it's a beautiful (44:40) image and it's interactive it has a lot of value and I'm currently exploring (44:49) more how to to optimize that that aspect of things so that my work can get into spaces where (44:57) it can help people.

Yeah it sounds like you're you're getting into some of those spaces already (45:03) right with the doctors and the teachers and yeah I just had a piece that was purchased by 

(45:11) Ronald McDonald I was out in Nova Scotia and and I asked the girl who had purchased it I said well (45:20) you know where did you see my work or how did you hear about me and she said that her mother (45:25) is a doctor and she belongs to this doctor's group and she said that they were talking about (45:33) me so you were saying before that the discussions that are going around my work like I actually (45:38) don't know what those are but but they do kind of resurface in times like oh people are talking (45:45) about my work and the fact that it's therapeutic and that's that's awesome I love that. Yeah (45:50) that's exactly what you want. That's what I want but I just and I want to help people I mean (45:58) I feel like on my path in life I think we all are here to you know rise sort of uplift humanity (46:09) that we all have a purpose in life and and I love that like that gives my work more purpose.

(46:17) Yeah exactly. Have you had the opportunity to have your work illustrating a novel (46:26) used in a movie or in a play? Your work seems completely suited for all of these formats. (46:33) If yes how did this come about? Probably through conversations (46:39) and have you had more work because of it? I mean I have done illustration work in the past I'm (46:50) actually it's funny you mentioned the play because I'm actually in the process of writing (46:57) a musical right now.

I guess it's something I've always kind of wanted to do it's it's about my (47:07) great great uncle his name was Arthur Herbert Richardson and I really connect with (47:16) his passion for nature. He was very a very integral part of the conservation movement (47:26) in the like conservation authorities in Ontario. He actually his office drew up the bill that allowed (47:36) conservation authorities to be formed back in 1942 I think it was but it's really a story (47:48) more about following a love for nature a love for humanity like contributing to society in that way (48:01) or contributing to humanity in that way and having a vision of the future because he like a lot of (48:10) I know that he struggled getting conservation to happen around like there had to be some political (48:21) agenda around it to get these bills to get passed because politicians would only be in (48:29) office for a four-year term and it wasn't a immediate type of result something that (48:42) like and the public outcry really wasn't there especially early on like he was running (48:47) Save the Forest campaign in the 1920s so this is a time when you know everything was booming and (48:56) he him and his friends and colleagues were were already very concerned about the environment (49:02) at that point and you know like that we need to stop and you know like conserve but ultimately (49:10) the place kind of about love and I can really relate and how it sounds like he was very passionate (49:15) about it a hundred years ago yeah I mean it actually amazed me because we I didn't know that (49:29) in Ontario in say 1908 most of old Ontario was down to five percent forest cover did you know (49:40) that and there is these there was these rampant like deserts that were spreading all throughout (49:49) Ontario they called them the marching sands and and these sands were were blowing into towns and (49:58) almost like snow drifts would like take over roads and it was a huge problem so (50:05) it was back in the 1920s that they started to reforest a lot of these areas (50:13) but yeah I don't think people really know that much about that so it is I think right now we face (50:21) another sort of environmental challenge and it's almost as if we've been there before (50:30) and history is kind of repeating itself which I think it does you hope that we learn something (50:36) along the way but I think in telling the story I can draw a lot of analogies to like where we are (50:43) now and and try to give hope I think too for the for the future you know because I think for a lot (50:51) of the younger generation they don't have that kind of hope they just see all this yeah (50:56) for the future there isn't much hope out there these days and yeah I do see that with your (51:03) with your pieces especially you know the earth and prince and the search and find it's just (51:08) it does give that that that sense as soon as you look at them when researching you I (51:20) discovered you have additional connections with your work and dancing could you elaborate on (51:27) this and how this came about and if it is continuing to shape your work yeah

 I really (51:40) had no idea that my work would go in this direction but it really happened because of (51:48) my daughter because she fell in love with dance really early on she was doing creative movement (51:58) classes when we were living in Toronto they were just run through the city of Toronto (52:06) but she she just loved dance and then we moved when we moved to Peterborough she started taking (52:13) dance classes and so she got into competitive dance and and over the years I started working (52:23) on some of the hip-hop mixes for some of her hip-hop solos and then the choreographers in (52:31) the dance studio started saying like wait a second who did this hip-hop mix (52:38) and and so they started coming to me to do like other mixes (52:44) and then even some little bit more experimental things where we take like some spoken word stuff (52:50) and then I've added my own music on top of it to kind of create an ambient background (52:55) around spoken word dances and then I started to work with it was actually one of the other (53:06) moms who was actually a choreographer as well that approached me to work on (53:12) a project called erasing the stigma where she was working with some filmmakers (53:19) interviewing people kind of like what now about their struggles with mental illness like in in 

(53:26) Peterborough area so it's kind of normalized the struggles that everybody was having in (53:36) different ways that was kind of hidden under the radar but we were exposing it and kind of (53:41) normalizing it and and then we categorized some of the different struggles like depression (53:50) anxiety and and then we we created aspects that were leading to a disconnect like technology (54:01) and and we created dances around that so she approached me to have like create these unique (54:08) musical compositions that she then choreographed images around and it was a multi-discipline (54:18) performance so we have the projections of the people talking and and the music and the dance (54:24) was kind of bringing all these elements together which I love to just kind of a multi-disciplinary (54:28) performance and so we we put on that erasing the stigma we did several of that and then 

(54:38) I started I actually I think that's one of the reasons why I'm writing a musical now (54:44) my daughter's actually in a musical in Cambridge right now but so she's she's now become a (54:50) professional dancer that's the career path that she has chosen and and she loves musicals and (54:59) so do I and it's you know like there's it's challenging I mean being an artist is challenging (55:07) she knows the struggle that artists you know go through but I'm always just like you know you (55:11) follow what you love and the opportunities present themselves along the way and she's been quite (55:16) successful in in doing that but I'm also the type of person that you know just wants it well let's (55:23) just write a musical ourselves and and you can do the choreography and I'll write the music and (55:30) so if this musical does come to fruition which it's getting close I hope to work with her and (55:38) and you know other people that we've met in the dance here in Peterborough and in Toronto (55:45) all over Canada for that matter.

That's really great to to be doing that with your daughter and (55:53) and just yeah another another area of your creativity where you're you're just really (56:00) shining that's awesome. Yeah I mean I'm I'm not a dancer myself that's not a skill that (56:09) a skill set that I've really focused on developing but but I do love collaborating (56:16) with other people and kind of bringing that all together into like this kind of (56:22) multidisciplinary performance. Yeah and you're using your musical skills to to help help her with

 (56:29) this.Yeah and I'm sure that you know once we get into stage design and then that's probably where (56:36) my art will come into that as well. What have you found has been your biggest challenge as an artist? (56:46) Has it been mastering your medium establishing collectors or something else? I think there's (56:57) I mean there's always going to be challenges in life. I think struggle is just a part of life so (57:05) I think it's basically like how you face challenges and I when when a challenge sort of (57:13) comes to me in life I see it like my perspective is seeing it as an opportunity for growth (57:21) to learn from that and that that's what's actually going to get me to another level (57:27) is to work through that.

I mean as an artist financial there there's definitely probably (57:38) financially has been the one of the hardest struggles throughout the years but in saying (57:44) that I mean I I've always had what I needed to continue and and so I have become more comfortable (57:52) with that just knowing that opportunities will present themselves along the way you (58:00) can't really it's not something you can completely plan you just have to trust. 

(58:06) It's not it's it's not a business plan it's it's more of a trusting in the universe to provide (58:15) when you fall in love with which I feel is is the right path and also you know working hard to (58:23) to manifest you know ideas and things that really get you excited and also doing what I do I (58:33) feel it's important to be aware of the signs that guide you along the way because because of what (58:39) I do is very visual and imagery I've become also very of synchronicities and that when you are on (58:49) the right path synchronicities start to show up and I don't even think that you would necessarily (58:58) notice them unless you were aware of that but I'm for me I'm always looking for those synchronicities (59:05) as kind of a sign that okay yeah that's I'm on the right path here. 

(59:12) Okay so kind of gives me confirmation.

So could you elaborate on that a little bit? (59:23) Okay well there's been so many along the along the way. Pick the first and the last and maybe (59:31) then that'll that'll explain to the audience a little bit what you're saying. Okay well there's (59:41) been so many along the along the way.

When I'm out in nature I move very slowly. I'm I often feel (59:51) like I'm like a turtle because I move so slowly. I move when I'm moving over the rocks.

I photographed (59:57) this one tree at a an ancient site on Rice Lake called Serpent Mounds. And we'll be right back. (1:00:14) It's an ancient native burial mound on that I was I've been very drawn to.

It's very close (1:00:21) and connected to the Stony Lake petroglyph site as well. But I photographed this really (1:00:28) ancient tree there that to me looked exactly like a turtle. And so I came out with an image of that (1:00:38) really early on and actually put it on my business card because I did kind of really connect with 

(1:00:44) that. And so in a way that was kind of representative of myself and my connection with nature. (1:00:59) And in native mythology the turtle is kind of a symbol of Mother Earth as well. I was living in (1:01:08) Toronto at the time and I was going down to the Humber River like that was kind of my natural (1:01:14) space that I was searching for stones.

And I found this one spot I was living on the South Kingsway (1:01:20) and so I was going down to what I think was the old mouth of the Humber River which is like a bluff (1:01:26) there. There's a lot of landfill beyond that. But at one point the Toronto waterfront was like a lot (1:01:32) of bluffs along there.

So I think this was like close to the old mouth of the Humber because there's (1:01:38) this big sandstone bluff there. And I was finding these really interesting unique pieces of sandstone (1:01:46) like in the sand. And so I was spending a lot of time in this one area where I was finding (1:01:52) these really odd shaped stones.

And it was in the fall and I was about halfway up this (1:02:01) sandstone bluff and I noticed these holes in the sand. They were kind of here and there and I thought (1:02:09) what are these? It seemed like the first thing I thought was was it was like a bird's nest or (1:02:16) something. But then like I could see these eggshells kind of trailing out of it and it didn't seem as (1:02:23) though something was digging into the sand more something was digging out of the sand.

(1:02:28) So it wasn't long before I was thinking oh like these look like they could be like turtle (1:02:33) nests that have hatched which they were. And just as I thought that the sun cut a little (1:02:43) glimmer of something something like there's like a little star something shiny in the sand (1:02:50) that kind of just hit my eyes like a reflection a little kind of (1:02:57) star of light there something shiny. And so it compelled me to reach down and pick up (1:03:04) to see what this was.

And and it was just something kind of silver surfacing out of a chunk of (1:03:13) of sand that I had to break apart and in it I found a ring and the ring was in the shape of a (1:03:23) turtle. And the synchronicity between the image of the turtle on this ring and the image on my (1:03:34) business card is uncanny like they they look very similar very similar. And it just happened (1:03:45) to fit my baby finger and so I still wear this ring this was when did this happen this was (1:03:52) 28 no 25 years ago.

And and I still wear the ring to this day it's kind of a symbol of my (1:04:01) relationship with nature. So it's a very it was a very literal literal and magical gift from (1:04:10) nature I feel. To have those two symbols sort of just connect right there.

Yeah. Yeah and (1:04:22) we'll even finding finding a turtle ring in the turtle's nest. And then I actually having told (1:04:29) this story over the years I was talking to this one biologist in Peterborough who had studied (1:04:38) snapping turtles and and he said well I've actually noticed that there are a lot of like (1:04:44) shiny objects in turtles nests.

So I've drawn the conclusion that turtles bring shiny objects (1:04:49) to their nests and they wouldn't be alone with that like there are other animals that do that. (1:04:55) And so then I was telling people that like as part of my story when I'm sharing these stories (1:04:59) because I do find that when I'm out there at shows I share stories like this. (1:05:05) And and then I with Ontario Parks and Canada Parks I've done some work with them.

The thing (1:05:16) with Ontario Parks where I was telling this the story and he said you know I've never he'd also (1:05:21) studied turtles quite extensively and he said I'd never heard of turtles you know bringing shiny (1:05:30) objects to their nests. But here's another angle. I know for a fact that crows bring shiny objects (1:05:37) to their nests and crows are well known to raid turtles nests.

So it could have come about that (1:05:46) way where a crow carrying a turtle's ring happened to see some turtles hatching and (1:05:53) well probably traded the ring for a baby turtle. I don't know. (1:05:56) It could happen, yeah.

(1:06:00) Yeah. (1:06:03) It's a mystery. (1:06:05) During your career of painting Canadian landscapes have clients ever reported (1:06:10) experiencing a spiritual connection with your work? (1:06:20) I mean you can't really do the work that I'm doing without developing a spiritual connection (1:06:29) with nature because it to me when I'm out in nature it's like a friend.

It's (1:06:36) it speaks to me this way like in this very visual way and I know because this awareness that I'm (1:06:43) exercising and trying to encourage others to open up to that side of themselves. (1:06:50) It is universal and so obviously I'm not alone on this journey. (1:06:56) And so yeah I do find that a lot of people who have a strong connection to nature (1:07:04) and a spirituality that has evolved out of nature do resonate strongly with my work.

(1:07:12) And thankfully I think that is becoming more and more. I mean you think that there's a lot (1:07:20) of disconnect that's happening but there's also kind of a shift in awareness that's happening (1:07:26) right now so it's hopeful that people are seeing the importance of protecting nature and (1:07:39) being mindful of how we walk on this earth and to tread lightly and to kind of work to find that (1:07:50) balance between technology and the natural way of you know being. (1:08:02) Yeah it's a tough balance to find.

(1:08:03) That's going to be our challenge moving into the future. Yeah especially like we're so (1:08:13) I mean we're in we're facing kind of an explosion. I often draw this comparison between (1:08:20) like the origin of art and like going back to the very first art that (1:08:27) humans created.

This is like 45,000 to 50,000 years ago as far as we know. (1:08:37) Ancient cave art. And when I think I don't know if you've seen my logo but my logo is the word (1:08:45) earth with the word art highlighted in the center of it.

And a lot of people still have never seen (1:08:54) that. Like some people some people like I know that it has been become a little bit more in (1:08:59) the forefront over the years but when I first discovered it 25 years ago there wasn't a lot (1:09:08) of people and that was also another synchronicity like that that just happened really randomly. (1:09:13) But when I saw the word art in the earth I just thought well that makes so much sense.

(1:09:20) Like the origin of art is the earth and then in thinking about the origin of art like the (1:09:26) very first art that humans created they like archaeologists refer to that time as (1:09:31) the creative explosion. So something happened that brought about the awareness that an image (1:09:40) could represent something. I guess what I'm talking about is the origin of representational (1:09:48) art because there probably were like abstract scratchings and things like that and symbols (1:09:55) before actual representational art.

Yeah so yeah I started thinking well (1:10:07) you know I can kind of I have a different perspective on the origin of these rock art (1:10:12) sites because a lot of archaeologists would talk about like how they're telling a story 

(1:10:18) in this cave. And from my perspective I'm thinking it probably started the awareness that an image (1:10:26) could represent something could have started just from building fires and caves and then the light (1:10:31) from fires shining on cave walls. And a lot of these cave paintings actually do take on the form (1:10:38) of the images and then you know people talk about like oh how clever they used they found a (1:10:45) way of incorporating the images into like the cave wall.

But to me the image started on the cave wall (1:10:53) and it was observed first and art was a way to define that vision to bring it into reality. (1:11:05) And then these sites a lot of these ancient sites become teaching sources. So mythology start the (1:11:13) stories start to evolve around those not necessarily the artist telling the story

 (1:11:17) but the artist is the interpreter of what nature is speaking.

And the stories are almost the viewer (1:11:26) tells the story when they look at it and it tells it speaks to them they're drawing from their own (1:11:32) experience and then they're telling their own stories. That's that's what I that is very (1:11:39) interesting how like individually we all perceive things differently. And that's kind of goes back (1:11:48) to like what I'm doing in engaging people with with my work too is you know you know leaving (1:11:58) a window for it to speak to them individually.

Yeah exactly and that's that's what you want you (1:12:02) want the individual to see what they see as well as what you see. (1:12:10) Yeah. Yeah.

I wanted to continue to speak to people like I know I intentionally live a life (1:12:17) to happen. Yeah. 

(1:12:22) We have reached the end of the questions for this interview.

It was a pleasure hearing about your (1:12:28) practice and how you work. If there is anything you would like to add now is the time. (1:12:44) Be open and receptive to nature like dig a little deeper into like if you see something in a cloud (1:12:54) ask yourself why did I see that you know dig a little deeper into (1:13:00) the why behind it because it's your connection with everything around you.

(1:13:06) So this is the concept you look at a tree you see a turtle in there and you think yeah I'm a turtle (1:13:15) and there I am in that tree and then here I am in this cloud and picking up a rock and say there I (1:13:23) am in this rock like it reinforces your connection with everything around you. So be open and (1:13:31) receptive to that and follow love like that's that's the right path. (1:13:37) Well that's a nice way to leave to leave your interview all about love.

(1:13:44) All about love. (1:13:46) Well thank you for being on the show. I will get this to you as soon as I can.

(1:13:50) Thank you very much for having me. I enjoyed this. (1:13:55) Yeah.

Yeah it's been fun. It's always fun talking about art. (1:14:03) Thank you very much Carolyn.

(1:14:06) So thanks again and remember to like comment and share. (1:14:13) You too. (1:14:13) Okay bye.

(1:14:14) Nice talking to you. (1:14:15) Yeah nice talking to you too. Bye.

(1:14:17) Bye. (1:14:19) Join me next time as I go down another rabbit hole with another creative professional (1:14:25) on their insights their inspirations and their ingenuity.