Although Liza Gareau Tosh is bursting with talent and has successfully been able to master various forms of media including composing music in both French and English (due to her French-Canadian and Metis ancestry), painting and scultping, she has selected some of her more personal drawings using graphite and watercolour paints to be featured in the upcoming exhibit ‘Draw Me In.’

One’s upbringing is highly influential on the direction taken in later years and Tosh accredits her hometown of Bellevue, Saskatchewan for her own “sense of artistic investment.” She was also mentored by the painter and sculptor, Aurore Houle, at the tender age of 14 where she was fortunate enough to realize her true calling.

Since her early years in Bellevue, she moved on to earn a Bachelor of Education with Distinction from the University of Regina which led her to teaching both art and English in some of Saskatchewan’s francophone schools.  Just another example of how one’s background can attribute to certain opportunities.  After furthering the education of other French-Canadian high school students through art and English in Saskatchewan, she decided that she would continue her own education and begin studying at Universite Laval (Quebec City) and in Regina, she was able to work with many artists she admired respected.

Tosh has been all over Canada but she and her family have been able to call Fernie their winter home for over ten years and has been showing her own works locally since 2004.  Freshie’s, The Arts Co-op, Blue Toque and Fernie Fix are just a few places that you may have been able to view her artistry in person and, if you are ever in Harris, Saskatchewan, be sure to visit her newly opened Arts and Culture Centre, Routes Gallery, to see works showcased by established and emerging artists alike.

The opening reception for ‘Draw Me In’ is Thursday, Dec. 29 at 7 p.m. at The Art Station in Fernie. The show runs until Tuesday, January 25, 2012.

Roxanne Beaton/The Arts Station

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