I am a visual artist, naturalist and gardener. My imagery is landscape and nature based and begins with observation. I use my sketchbook journals, my photography and plein air sketches as field work to inform larger paintings in my studio. My strong colour palette is a direct influence of my homeland, Pakistan, where I spent my formative years before immigrating, as a young adult to Ontario, Canada.

As an immigrant and the oldest sibling, I needed to work full-time in order to help my family and get through the first years in the new country. I knew I wanted to make art seriously, and was finally able to attend the Ontario College of Art and Design as a mature student in my 30’s. While I attended the 4 year Fine Art Program I continued to work full-time. A few years after graduating, a was able to devote time to my art and work part-time at my 9 to 5 job, and took advantage of this time to attend the Central Technical School of Art, Toronto. This 3 year program allowed me to get a solid foundation in the technical side of all art mediums.