Every artist is really just trying to find a way to tell a story that is important to them.  For me, Piko is at the heart of it. Piko means, “bend in the river” in Maori. I used to live in Christchurch, Aotearoa (New Zealand) and I was fortunate to work at an amazing organic whole food cooperative called Piko.  It was nestled in a little bend of the river and has served the community since 19??. When I moved back to Canada, I moved into an apartment studio situated on a bend of the Bow River and when my little husky cross came into my life, I thought it was only fitting that he be named Piko in honour of the cooperative, its destruction in the earthquake, and its rebuild. Piko, the store, is resilient, brave, and curious and I wanted those qualities to be reflected in my own puppy.  Piko, the dog, is really why I started drawing and painting.  Looking into his steely eyes always told a story and I started trying to capture that in my own way.  Of course, when a passion takes hold, it really burrows right into your heart and here I am today, trying to tell the story of so many animals by capturing their essence in my quirky style.  Thank you for visiting, Bend the River Studio.