on Island and I have always enjoyed flying
back and forth to visit family. My lifelong
dream was to move to the Maritimes; in
2017, that dream became a reality. During
February and March of that year, I drove
solo from British Columbia to the East
Coast, along routes in both Canada and the
U.S., in winter conditions. I had lost regu-
lar mobility in my right leg after complica-
tions from an arthroscopic procedure on
that knee in 2013—so this road trip was a
big venture for me. In addition to slippery
roads, I got lost in North Dakota when my
car’s GPS malfunctioned; I got deathly sick
in Michigan; and I hit an ice storm in Ot-
tawa. Oddly enough, I never felt any real
fear during the trip. I was sick and tired at
times, but always adventurous!
My intention was to find full-time work
in the Maritimes and do art on the side. I
settled along the Bay of Fundy where the
farmlands and beautiful vistas might serve
as inspiration for my artwork. Regular
employment eluded me, however, and so
last year, I decided to try and sell some of
my artwork, just in card form, as a home-
based business.
Having taught art for many years, I still
usually resort to old methods of starting
from the top left of the page and working my
way to the bottom right.
Prior to actually producing my artwork, I
travelled around the Maritimes in constant
pursuit of inspiring settings—of which
there is no shortage! I would take photo-
graphs of promising scenes and then use a
range of mediums—oil pastels, pencil cray-
ons, soft pencils and black markers—to cre-
ate my works of art by freehand.
After building an initial inventory of six
pieces, I tried cold-calling likely venues
where my art might be sold, such as local
gift shops and farmer’s markets where the
vendor fees were not too high. I also en-
tered my work into a Christmas sale, and
made sure friends and neighbours where
aware of what I had available. Consider-
ing I was just selling cards, I did not do too
badly.
This year I am trying to expand my art
business. In late 2018, I noticed a sign in-
“MABOU HARBOUR”“CUMBERLAND ANCHOR”“BLUE ROCKS”29