About Me

Hello! So glad you made it here.
I'm Grace and I paint the underwater world. I'm an avid technical diver, wreck diver and cave diver as well as a scuba instructor.
I paint for water lovers like myself and for people who yearn for the magical escape that can be found just below the water line.
Creativity in many forms
I've been an artist for as long as I can remember. I was the one that drew on the walls growing up! I believe creativity is a muscle everyone can learn to use. Some have stronger muscles than others, but that's only because they use that muscle more often. I used my creativity to teach art and design, to direct teams of artists art designers, and to help corporate worlds brainstorm new and innovative ideas. I truly love the exploration aspect of creativity and value both the intuitive process as well as having a bit of structure inside which to try new ideas!

Jumpstarted into diving by Jackfish
From a young child up until I was a teenager, I used to have a recurring dream of being underwater and swimming with a school of huge silvery blue jackfish all around me. It was like they knew me. I had this dream over and over but as an adult it suddenly stopped. I had forgotten all about this until I went back to the Philippines for the first time as an adult and saw a group of jackfish swirling around in shallow water beside our boat in Palawan. It all came flooding back to me and funny enough - that's the trip where I did my first scuba dive. It was as if my subconscious reminded me at a time when I was most open to it, that I was a creature of the water. I was hooked after that discover scuba diving session and when I came home, I got my certification and haven't stopped diving since.
My process
My Inspiration
I'm fascinated by the transformative power of water - how it changes and absorbs light as it moves through, how it shapes rocks and geology as it passes over it and how whole environments will change over time as mother nature reclaims it. It's so powerful.
Initially, scuba diving didn't come easily to me. I wasn't comfortable and a bit fearful, to be honest. Over time, with great training every step of the way, and by diving with exceptionally good divers, I expanded my circle of comfort to the point where I can fully appreciate these environments because of what it took for me personally to get there.
10 Random Facts About Me
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I've spent a month teaching in a small village in Tanzania and slept under the stars during a safari and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro while I was there.
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I could eat ice cream every single day of my life and my favourite flavour is pistachio.
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I've swam with one light in hand, in a little known cenote in Mexico where there are still the skeletal remains of the Mayan human sacrifices if you dive down to the bottom of the pit.
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I have an adorable fur baby named Joey who is a two year old German Shepherd that I love with all my heart.
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I'm fairly certain that while on a cave dive in the Dominican Republic, a water spirit touched my leg, gave me warning to GO NO FARTHER and turn back about 4900 feet into the cave.
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When I was younger, I used to pretend I was a sassy girl named Sasha whenever I was nervous about something, to help me get through it.
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Chocolates and pastries are my kryptonite.
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I have a primordial fear of snakes. And Zombies.
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I love to go hiking along with Joey (but am very wary of said snakes).
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I'm a huge fantasy and sci-fi nut. Tolkien and trekkie - "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us" so "Live Long and Prosper"!
My Bio
I've exhibited in the U.S., Canada and France. My work is found in private collections around the world.
Features:
- The Big Scuba Podcast - episode 77 - June 21, 2021
- Canadian Scuba News - February 8, 2020
- Diver Magazine - Spring 2020 issue
Residencies:
2022 - September at Studio Faire in Nérac France.
Shows and Awards:
March 5 - 8, 2020.
Education:
1996 - Sheridan College, Computer Graphics
1994 - Queen's University, B.F.A.
Organizations:
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