CRAFTY CANADIANSI
n 1986, my husband Imre, who
is Hungarian, and I (who am
German) decided to have an
adventure. We left our home in
Switzerland and came to Can-
ada in order to raise bison. We
had no knowledge of farming or
animals—except for our dog!
We had lived in beautiful
Switzerland, where we raised
our two children, Christina and
Christian, for 23 years. What
a di erent world it is here in
Canada. So large, and not many
people in Saskatchewan for its
size, but the one million-plus
that do live here are the friend-
liest people in the world. They
always smile at you.
All went well, and we retired
in 2000. At that point, I had time
to pursue my secret passion,
painting. My former training as
a goldsmith had given me skills
in designing, but not in painting.Nevertheless, after some frustra-
tion, I got the hang of it and soon
people were asking me to do
paintings of their pets. Although
I do paint on commission, I
prefer to paint what I
choose, and I really
enjoy painting
wildlife.
I paint with
acrylics on any
type of surface
I can find, in-
cluding canvas,
rocks, wood and
even my walls!Imre and I downsized our
living situation and now live in
a small house, so my “art studio”
is a space that measures about
2 metres by 2.5 metres, but that
in no way dampens my enthusi-
asm. I like to challenge myself!
For all you seniors out there,
give it a try. I was 60 when I
started painting and now at 76
I am still passionate about it. It
gives me so much satisfaction
and my children are so proud of
me. They will inherit my paint-
ings when I am gone—that is my
legacy to them. Passionate About Painting
It’s never too late to pursue your dreams in life
by Sieglinde (Linda) Henye,Melville, Sask.Linda’s creations include
(clockwise from top left): “One
Day These Boots Are Gonna Walk
All Over You” after the Nancy
Sinatra song; Walter the Arguing
French Bulldog (an Internet sensa-
tion); rock paintings of a bison and
a fox; “A Prince is Born,” based on
Bambi and his mother.59