In the previous post, I introduced you to William Culbert and Margaret Emily Lewis. Now, meet their 4xgreat-granddaughter: Brenda (Ticknor) Vouvalidis of London, Ontario, Canada.
Here's Brenda to tell us about her artwork:
I was born in London, Ontario in 1966 and have grown up around creating things.
Both my grandmothers (Verla Venner (1911-1975) on the Culbert side) and my mother and an aunt, enjoyed painting -usually in oils. One of my earliest sense memories is of the smell of oil paints and turpentines as we went up the stairs to the nursery at Calvary United Church, while my mom and aunt took classes there. Later I had my own art box that I would take to when visiting my maternal grandmother at her cottage; sitting on the dock, trying my hand at sketching, pastels, and water colours.
We were always doing crafts, and I learned to knit and crochet quite young. As a teenager, my interest shifted to photography. My family will confirm that I'm often lagging behind them, having wandered off to get "one more shot.” Taking art in high school gave me a good base of knowledge but also convinced me that I didn't have enough talent or desire to go any further.
Throughout 28 years in corporate life, I usually had a craft of some sort on the go but really never focused because... well...life. To make gifts, I taught myself fabric painting, glass painting, knotted jewellery, and chain maille jewellery. Of course, I got into the scrapbooking trend and continued taking many too many pictures.
I got downsized a couple of years ago and was at a loss for what my next steps should be. So, I spent a lot more time on genealogy, learned genetic genealogy, and started doing historical research for a novel I’m working on. I also went to one of those group paint nights. I really enjoyed it and a friend said that we should do another class. It was crystal clear to me that we could DIY for much less money. And that’s where my current art path started; buying crappy craft paint and warped canvases at the dollar store.
I’ve found an affinity for abstract acrylic flow painting- it just makes sense to me. I love playing with colours & techniques, and my only goal is to make something that is beautiful and/or makes someone smile. I don't think it would have been a good fit for the younger me so I'm very happy with how my path to creating art has dove-tailed with who I am now.
Because I am still very early on this path, I haven't yet had many opportunities to show my work (stupid COVID!) but I do have a couple of shows on my radar for later in the year (fingers crossed.) In the meantime, I've been doing commissions and selling to folks in my network, and also making jewellery of discarded, dried paint.
Here are some examples of Brenda's paintings. Please click on the images to enlarge them...
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| Day Flows into Night |
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| Bluebells & Birches |
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| Passionflowers (detail) |
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| Tree Series: Autumn |
The following are some examples of Brenda's jewellery...
Thank you, Brenda!
Where to Find Brenda (Ticknor) Vouvalidis:
Click here to visit Brenda's blog, BiiVii Creative: Art, Writing, Whatever.
To commission a painting by Brenda, click here.
Click here to visit Brenda's BiiVii Creative Facebook page.
Click here to visit Brenda's BiiVii Creative Etsy shop (jewellery only at present.)
Brenda can be found on Instagram as biivii_creative.
Click here to visit Brenda's genealogy blog, Ancestor Hide and Seek: life in the past lane.
The following two photos show Brenda using the "Dutch Pour" technique. By blowing air onto her paintings with a hairdryer, her mouth or a straw, the paint is manipulated to create ribbons of colour...
FAMILY TREE FOR BRENDA (TICKNOR) VOUVALIDIS:
Ancestors:
William Culbert & Margaret Emily Lewis (4xgreat-grandparents)
Ellen Culbert & George Lewis (3xgreat-grandparents)
Sarah Ann Lewis & Richard Caughlin (2xgreat-grandparents)
Isabella Jane Caughlin & Arthur Leroy Venner (great-grandparents)
Verla Leone Venner & Stanley Frank Harold Ticknor (grandparents)
Robert Stanley Ticknor & Cassandra Annora Inez Steele (parents)
Brenda (Ticknor) Vouvalidis
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