Joanne Coughlin, Ottawa Artist    Growing up in Quebec City,  I was surrounded by phenomenal art of all kinds.  I started dabbling with oils in my mid teens and took occasional painting lessons from an elderly friend of the family in the early 70’s. Ten years later with university behind me and living in a new City I tried my hand at life drawing and water color and completed art classes at the Ottawa School of Art.  At the ripe old age of 50 I picked up a paint brush again and was hooked on acrylics.  Acrylic paint is a medium that is both forgiving and versatile and allows me to play with vibrant color. Now that I am retired and living part time on Ferguson Lake in the Calabogie area, I have rediscovered the joy of painting landscapes with acrylic paint.  The area around Calabogie provides me with a continuous stream of inspiration for my art.  I participated in a one week plein air workshop in Taos, New Mexico as well as a workshop on encaustic painting.  I continue to study figurative art which is challenging yet very satisfying. I recently spent a glorious day being coached by the amazing Gordon Harrison of Ottawa.  I loved working with oils.  The result of that day was a  30"x 30" canadian landscape that you can see on my landscape page. I continue to be inspired by the beauty that surrounds me in the Calabogie area.