A.J Casson Medal and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society
A.J Casson Medal
I am humbled to have been awarded the prestigious A.J Casson Medal, from the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour, at the 93rd annual “Open Water” juried international exhibition held in October 2018.
The awarded painting, “Surfacing” (30 x 22 inches) , of a swimming polar bear among iceberg remnants was inspired by a recent painting trip to the arctic in which I has been studying for many years. It is rewarding when the elements come together to make a successful and effective composition thus can reach out to larger audience to communicate issues of climate change and conservation.
Here is some more information about the CSPWC;
“The Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour (inFrench: La Société Canadienne de Peintres en Aquarelle), founded in 1925 is considered to be Canada’s official national watercolour Society. The nation's oldest medium specific arts organization has had an illustrious history. Membership is looked upon as a mark of achieving peer recognition in one of the most difficult and demanding visual arts form.
The Annual "Open Water" show, open to all artists, continues to be the focus of the Society's work, which can be hosted anywhere in the country. The most prestigious award is the "A. J. Casson Award", a commissioned medal given "for outstanding achievement in watercolour painting" to the best work in the show. The medal is accompanied by a cash award.”
Royal Canadian Geographical Society
In November 2018, I was deeply honoured to have been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. For the past 30 years my paint brush has led me to travel the earths 7 continents and bring back impressions and stories. When coming home after painting abroad I am always reminded how incredibly diverse and beautiful Canada is and how fortunate I have been to paint the landscapes of every province and territory in my home country. I look forward to promote the Society’s mandate “to make Canada better known to Canadians and to the world.”