Jean Assimakos

Now in her mid 80s, Jean reflects on her long-life of artistic activities.

As a child, very much encouraged by my parents, I attended Saturday morning art classes at the Vancouver Art Gallery, then located on lower Georgia Street. Surrounded by Turners and Gainsboroughs, we painted on canvas sheets laid out on the floor. Another childhood memory is of wonderful summers spent in the Okanagan Valley with my paternal grandparents. Looking at those hot, dry hills developed my love of pastels, drawing, and painting.

A hiatus then took place - years filled by marriage, career as a social worker, friends, and travel.

I returned to art in the 1970s and have since been a member of the North Shore Sketch Club and since 1993 of FLAG.

I have worked in the mediums of oils, watercolour, and acrylics, while concentrating on a number of subjects and themes. Now, as the most senior member of FLAG, I have returned to my pleasure in pastels, directing my attention to the beauty of Langley and the Fraser Valley.