I have always loved to draw and paint. At the beginning of my art career I received an art certificate from Chouinard Art Institute (Cal Arts) in Los Angeles. I did studio pottery, art quilts and silk painting over a long span of time. Some thiry years later I went back to school and completed my BA with a concentration in Studio Arts.This was a huge but rewarding task, especially because I did it online. It has been the main focus of my life for the past two years. I graduated in June 2008 and it was a great achievement for me. My art once again carried me through some very difficult times.

I've been sort of a pioneer with scratchboard, and over the years of drawing, teaching, and demonstrating, my drawings have achieved a distinct style . Most people are surprised to find that they are done in scratchboard. I still continue to paint in watercolor because I love it, and the combination of both painting and drawing keep me involved in the art world.

Regarding watercolor and the brush-- I studied Chinese Brushwork with Wang Chi-Yauan. I find his early influence in my life and my training to be very important.

You will find the theme of animals--especially birds in my work.. When I was a kid, I'd often thought if I could be any animal, I'd choose to be a bird. I spent a lot of time thinking about what it would be like to actually fly and live in the trees and look down at the earth instead of looking up. I like pictures that tell a story. The old storyteller is in my blood. These little pictures are what I would like to portray and they are inspired either from my childhood memories or my imagination, or a combination of both.

Naquaiya is my native name from my Canadian and Algonquan heritage. My work has been published and collected internationally.

I invite you to my Etsy shop to see what I have for sale right now.

Check out my fun kitchen magnets in my Zazzle Shop.

See my gorgeous new big greeting cards