Great news, my friends! My artwork, Orchid Blessings, has been accepted into the prestigious YWCA Vancouver Women of Distinction Awards at JW Marriott Parq Vancouver.

My donation helps YWCA’s premier fundraising event. Women of Distinction Awards honours extraordinary women leaders while supporting YWCA’s programs and services.

I have had an amazing time over the past few weeks during the Vancouver Mural Festival (VMF). I’m a bit surprised about that.

Early in my art career, I created an elaborate mural with Dana Irving, Famous Painters. It was a beautiful Persian dining room designed for a private residence (think Persian rug but on mansion-scale and complete with realistic birds, flowers and decorative elements). It was great experience yet not one I thought I’d repeat any time soon. I was responsible for much of the detailed work along the ground which was physically demanding. My preference became designing murals—rather than painting them. Following, I created a mural for a Vancouver children’s clothing boutique, several murals for the Saudi Arabian science and technology centre, SciTech, and a multi-story graphic design banner for a global conference. I can’t complain—I’ve had some stellar opportunities! Yet, I’d talked myself into doing just one type of mural—the one where I designed it and someone else produced it. To complicate things, my doctor recently said it may not be a good idea for me to make murals. Well, I disagreed.