“Je dois avoir des fleurs, toujours et toujours.”

Claude Monet

Hilary Farmer

I started drawing as a young child and just never stopped. This, combined with a sense of practicality and a somewhat scientific bent, led to studying architecture at university. I worked in the field of architecture for many years culminating in managing the interior transformation of the West Block of the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa. As the practice of architecture and my career evolved, I found more and more that I needed the outlet of creating art by hand as an expression of my individual vision.

Over the years I’ve studied many media - from watercolour to acrylic, from Chinese brush and ink to traditional oil painting and life drawing. My architectural eye continues to inform my art in some ways as do the influences of my stays in Asia where I studied language and culture. Practicing Tai Chi for more than 25 years has strengthened my meditative and intuitive approach to painting and brought a sense of movement through time to my work.

In 2016, I started focusing completely on oils and by 2017, I had left architecture with the goal of becoming a full-time artist. I have continued exploring my chosen medium since then enjoying both plein air painting and studio work, becoming a member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, and finding success through open studios and in shows in local galleries.