I was born in Meaford, Ontario to a family of artists. My uncle was the director of the art department at Eaton's and painted in the style of Tom Thompson, who was born about 7 miles from my home. I spent countless hours watching him paint at many sites around Georgian Bay. My aunt was a talented water colourist who sketched the new dresses for Eaton's that appeared on the back page of the Globe and Mail. In my youth, I paddled on canoe trips through Algonquin Park and Georgian Bay, where I came to love many of the sites painted by the Group of Seven. 

I moved to Vancouver in 1989. After practicing surgery for more than four decades, I took up painting and received a Certificate in Painting from Emily Carr University. I joined a plein air group (Men in Hats) five years ago and started painting with other artists on Vancouver's North Shore. I joined the North Shore Artist Guild in 2016.