It has been quite the journey these past five years, exploring Canada. From the most rural to the grandest; cultivating a visual language that is distinctly Canadian. I have toured local museums in the most rural of villages, to our greatest architectural wonders housing our Canadian histories of art, sport and culture. I have hiked back-roads, neighborhoods, mountains, wilderness and through city streets. I have been a passenger on buses, cars, ferries, planes, boats, skytrains, streetcars and subways. You see, I don’t drive, never really wanted to, and am truly happy I do not. I am sure that most everyone else out there is thankful I don’t! I figure I am saving a few lives everyday. Curious is something I have always been, and not driving has served this curiosity in ways I never could have imagined as a teen growing up in a rural community of Canada. I recall reading something about Paul McCartney still taking the subway in New York when he has the chance, and I totally get why. The only true way to understand the beat on the ground and in the people, from all walks and all cultures, is to walk among them, every chance you get. From the finest dram of Scotch to cheap beer and the finest tenderloin to the squeakiest cheese curds on poutine; I am fortunate for all of these experiences. I think it was Queen Victoria, the namesake of my hometown, that said; “Beware of artists. They mix with all classes of society and are therefore most dangerous.” I don’t know about dangerous, but certainly curious enough to warrant no boundaries. This brings me to a little feature that was recently published in Reader’s Digest Our Canada Magazine. This year’s Canada Day issue, now on shelves in Chapters and in subscribers mailboxes across the country, features four lovely pages filled with my words and paintings. I talk about this journey of the past five years and the resulting art inspired by these adventures. The June/July 2016 issue is available on newsstands and here. Keep on exploring and creating; vive le Canada! ~ Brandy Saturley