Like many people in the art world I can't remember a time when drawing or painting was not part of my life. Serious artistic skills have been honed mostly through practice, a number of workshops and years of trial and error. One day I hope to finish a picture and be completely satisfied with the result!

I love painting landscapes. I also love sketching as well as hiking and just enjoying scenery, all of which have been life long pursuits. The Yukon is an ideal location for a person with these particular inclinations. Three hundred and sixty degrees of spectacular views and a low side-swiping light that lengthens shadows and puts a glow on everything it touches are just part of the secret.

The name I go by is Virginia. My signature is A V Wilson. The 'A' bit is Alice which I have never used, but with a surname as common as Wilson two initials are an advantage so the 'A' remains.

I spent my first 21 years in the North of England and the next 50 plus in Canada; first in Vancouver, then Calgary, the Ottawa Valley in Ontario, the Cariboo in B.C., Sundre in Alberta and now Whitehorse in the Yukon. Most of my life has been spent in rather beautiful places but this is easily the most spectacular. 

My academic qualifications include two degrees in geography and not much in the way of art but the geographical training is alive and well in my landscapes. The places I paint are real places. Having all the elements of the natural world in a correct and harmonious relationships with each other is important to me. I want my paintings to be environmentally as well as artistically sound.