“Radiant Canopy” 2025 acrylic on ACM 56 x 180 inches. Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre, Barrie, Ontario.

RADIANT CANOPY

Frances Thomas, curator of the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) in Barrie, commissioned the artist to create a site-specific painting for the hospital’s Food Court. This painting is now part of the RVH art collection.

SITE VISITS

Site visits and photographs launched the artist’s creative process, capturing the breathtaking four-storey glass atrium that reaches skyward. The soaring architecture sparked an artistic vision to incorporate imagery of the ceiling with majestic maple trees that once graced the hospital grounds.

DESIGN PROCESS

The artist’s process always begins with small acrylic paint sketches where she can loosely play with the overall composition. Before she proceeded, the curator approved this sketch as well as her digital renderings of the artwork in the architectural setting. The artist then began to paint each panel “to scale” on six different layers of Duralar film. Working on this transparent film meant that the artist could make changes to any layer of paint, while looking through to the layers beneath and seeing how the whole painting worked together. Again, the client approved these “to scale” paintings before the artist began the final, full-size artworks.

ENHANCING THE SPACE

The composition weaves organic tree forms with structural elements, exploring the vital connection between our built spaces and the living environment that nurtures us. This newly completed artwork transforms the hospital’s newly renovated communal dining area, creating an uplifting environment for patients, healthcare staff, and visitors.