The desire to create my own art preceded kindergarten and continues to this day. As a young adult I pursued art by taking a Bachelor in Fine Arts. I had my first solo exhibition at Gallery 101 in Ottawa in the 1980s and I have been a professional artist since that time. My art practice has taken me across Canada, the United States and Europe, both to gather reference material for my art and for groups and solo exhibitions.

Over the years I have been based in Ottawa and Toronto, but in 2000 I moved to Carleton Place to live along the Mississippi River. I had begun teaching in the 80s with the Ottawa Carleton Board of Education Continuing Education Department and in Carleton Place I continued this practice by beginning to offer both adult and children's classes in the Carleton Place Public Library. I found this to be a very enriching artistic experience and so I moved back to Ottawa to attend the University of Ottawa for a Bachelor of Education, which I completed in 2007. After receiving my teaching degree, I returned to the University of Ottawa to take a Master of Fine Arts degree in studio art, graduating in September 2010. This degree not only qualifies me to teach at the University level, but the experience was also extremely stimulating artistically.

I am now offering one-day workshops in art at the Carleton Place Public Library again. These workshops are designed for those working in watercolour, acrylic or drawing. Each workshop delves into different themes such as Skies, Portraits, the Figure or Drapery.

I can be contacted at email leamarcia71@gmail.com