Get to Know Me

What are the most interesting aspects of your work?

I consider myself incredibly lucky to work in an industry that embraces my passionate love of art and culture and inspires me to innovate and adapt, exploring and embracing the new as the global art world continuously evolves. Being an entrepreneur at heart and an out of the box thinker has always pushed the boundaries for my vision of what an art advisory can do for one’s clients and community. Being a mentor for young women professionals seeking advice on how to navigate their art careers is deeply rewarding, and creating award winning community engagement with my museum exhibitions have made career highlights. In my advisory role, the creative vision shared with my team is inspired by state-of-the-art technologies and business acumen informed by years of experience navigating the art market. This requires high level organizational skills to oversee and manage the many complex layers within a client project. What I find particularly inspiring is my involvement in every stage of the process, starting with the artistic outreach with my clients and the journey in establishing their art focus- my favorite part of my job. And then, ensuring their vision is fully understood. I focus on finding the perfect placement for the artwork, crafting the narrative, and considering how each piece will integrate into its new environment, all while providing thoughtful oversight and fostering creativity.

How did you begin your career in the art world?

I began my career in the art world through my own personal journey as a collector. It all started as an incredible art adventure that I shared with my husband Larry exploring, educating ourselves and ultimately starting to collect art back in the early 90’s. Thirty plus years ago the art collecting experience was completely different then it is today. Cultivating and building strong relationships within the art community before the internet became widely used allowed for the ability to foster deeply personal interactions. We relied solely on personal meetings with dealers and curators to learn and see art, as there were no computer high res images to use as part of a transactional decision. This was a special time to engage in art collecting and created invaluable insights and a deep understanding of what the collecting experience should look like in navigating art markets opportunities and establishing art practice values. Ultimately, this pure love for art and the community relationships that were created during this formative time became a stepping-off point for me. I recognized that here in Canada I could create this very personal experience for other collectors using my deep knowledge and art expertise to build international bridges for clients globally. Pursuits was incorporated in 2007.

If you could have dinner with 3 artists from the past- who would they be?

If I could have dinner with three artists from the past, I would choose these three artists because of their intensity, emotional struggles, and passions in their work and life. I admire each one of their practices as different as they are. (1) Mark Rothko- (1903-1970) born in Latvia (Russia ruled)-emigrated to the US at 10 years old and lived in NYC. American abstract painter. (2) Francis Bacon- (1909-1992) born in Dublin and lived in London. Figurative painter. (3) Emily Carr- (1871-1945) born in Victoria, British Columbia and studied in California as well as London. Western Canadian landscape painter.