I could begin my narrative by writing down all my credentials and exhibition history etc. etc. but I am going to approach my bio a little differently. I do believe that while that information is important I also believe that it is more important to visually connect with my viewers. I will tell you what and who inspires me, my muse(s) and my desire to connect and engage.

I feel a very strong union with nature and its endless source of inspiration.  I am awed and humbled by its beauty and have joined the pilgrimage of so many other artists in attempting to capture the light, energy and movement of this amazing gift we are privileged to experience. As a Canadian our landscape can be raw and transcend words, so many have attempted to translate it through their brush.

In 1927 Emily Carr commented on Lawren Harris’s paintings as “Something you can’t describe but just feel.” That is what I want from my viewer.

That being said some of my inspiration comes from artist like Emily Carr who used her brush strokes to create motion and movement, Spiritual qualities of Lawren Harris’s work and the impressionists and their quest to capture the ephemeral effects of light. When I think about what I want to paint I end up painting what I am thinking about. That may seem like an odd statement but it is the best way for me to express my point. It could be from a walk along the beaches of Lake Huron, memories of a hike in the mountains of West Coast Canada, a photograph or something as simple as bringing together chance objects for a still life.

I have also began a love affair with reclaimed wood, recycled wood, barn board etc. It is the tangible quality of the experience I am so fond of. The transformation of objects. I have explored it in some of my work but I have also used it to create wonderful sculptures, functioning pieces and restyled furniture.

I received by B.A in Visual Art from Brock University. In my second year at the age of 19.  One of my professors arranged for a group of students to study in France in the summer of 1988. I will blog about this later. We painted outdoors, we drew from observation, visited art galleries and I voraciously consumed every bit of the art and culture and food of France I could.

I also have a diploma in Graphic Design from Mohawk College.

I have shown my work in Southern Ontario, British Columbia and Italy and France and had a spontaneous show during a road trip to Maine and Vermont many years ago in the Fall of 1991.

I will let my work speak for itself, if you follow me on this journey I hope you will find emotion in the process. Perhaps my work will allow you a visual escape, evoke a memory or simply provide an aesthetic appreciation.

A hand clasp to you,

Tina Destro