What began as a study turned into something more.

This painting started as an exploration of how I wanted to approach Blue Mountain Pottery in paint. Lately, I’ve been drawn to the way these nostalgic artifacts of Canadiana seem to carry more than their physical presence. For many, they hold memories of homes, cottages, family collections, and the places and people that shaped us.

Recently, I left a career in kitchen design and began moving toward another professional identity as an artist. As a farewell gift, my colleagues gave me several pieces of Blue Mountain Pottery, including this swan planter. They knew I had begun collecting these objects and planned to use them as subjects in my artwork.

Traditionally, a swan song marks a final performance before a departure. Arriving at the end of one chapter, this swan unexpectedly became part of the beginning of another. During a period of change, it also became tied to an evolving understanding of home, not simply as a physical place or structure, but as something carried within ourselves; a sense of belonging that slowly takes shape as we grow into who we are becoming.

What began as an exploration of form and colour evolved into a painting about transition, identity, and the people who see where you're headed before you've fully arrived there yourself.