Since childhood in British Columbia, I have always been a drawer, especially liking Prisma colours.
I graduated in Fine Arts, English and Education from East Texas State University and then moved to Ottawa.
In 1998, I finished a long career in Graphic and Exhibit Design for Parks Canada and finally as Chief Designer
for the Canada Museum of Science and Technology.

I then enrolled in a pastel class at the Ottawa School of Art to learn about this mysterious medium. I worked
almost exclusively in pastels for the next 8 years. I have attended many workshops including those by Albert Handall (www.alberthandell.com), master pastel artist in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where I gained new insights.

I am a member of the Pastel Artists Canada and have had paintings chosen for their Annual Open Juried
Exhibitions. In 2006, I received an Honourable mention at the 15th Annual Exhibition (juried by Duane Wakeman, American Master Pastelist) held at the Art Gallery of Hamilton .

As a member of the Ottawa Art Association, I show work on a monthly basis at the Ottawa Little Theatre.

I had a successful one person show at Framed! where more than 75% of my works sold. I have exhibited at
Francesco’s Coffee Company and at the Britannia Gallery, in Ottawa and participated in a group show at the
Mermaid Gallery in Nelson, B.C. Since 2005, I have been juried into the annual Ottawa Fine Art Festival
(over 100 participating artists) in support of the Kidney Foundation.

In recent years I have been concentrating on acrylic painting, learning new techniques at workshops and
exploring a more "painterly" approach to my imagery. I continue to pursue a full-time career in art and wish
to have more opportunities to exhibit my work signed “Yates”, my maiden name.