Irma grew up on a Saskatchewan farm where the prairie is never just background – nature dominates. Blizzards, lightning storms, and the overarching sky instilled in her a feeling of freedom, limitless space, and room to explore. Her predominant memory is a feeling of independence and the sky’s overwhelming presence. Although she has degrees in art and art education, she did not return to painting until 2002, and had a solo show within a year. Since April 2013 she has made her living as a full time artist. Irma is available for demos and workshops.
Irma continues to have an avid interest in contemporary dance. She is also on the fundraising committee for the Victoria CNIB. In 2005 she received the Peter Gzowski Literacy Award. From 1990-2005 Irma was well-known across BC for her advocacy in the FASD field and the development / delivery of programs in the criminal justice system.
"To me, the act of painting encompasses all of who I am. Using the simplest of line and shape, the subtlest shift of color, my goal is to evoke an emotion, a feeling, a memory… initially, for me in the doing, and then again and again for the viewer. I paint what I need to paint and am delighted when someone connects to it and it changes their landscape. Landscapes and seascapes continue to inspire my art making…the horizon line of both offer me comfort and grounding as well as a sense of belonging. I continue to see the landscape as the root to the emotion. I paint not only what I see before me, but also what I see within me – a landscape of the imagination."
