KATERINA MERTIKAS WAS BORN IN GREECE BUT HAS LIVED IN CANADA MOST OF HER LIFE SHE HAS BEEN PAINTING PROFESSIONALLY SINCE 1992 THE JOY DEPICTED IN HER PAINTINGS AND HER GENIUS AS A COLOURIST HAS WON HER THE ADMIRATION OF ART COLLECTORS ACROSS CANADA AND BEYOND INITIALLY HER TWO DAUGHTERS WERE THE INSPIRATION OF HER WHIMSICAL COLOURFUL WORKS OF ART AND ITS THROUGH THOSE EARLY YEARS THAT HER WORKS FLOURISHED AND SHOWED A HAPPY SIDE OF LIFE NOW HER FIVE GRANDCHILDREN ARE HER INSPIRATIONAS A NAIVE EXPRESSIONISTIC AND WORLD RECOGNIZED ARTIST HER WORKS ARE CHARACTERIZED BY A REFRESHING INNOCENCE AND A CHARMING USE OF BRIGHT COLOURS THE NEAR UNIVERSAL APPEAL OF KATERINAS EXHILARATING PAINTINGS PORTRAYS THE SIMPLE EASILY UNDERSTANDABLE AND OFTEN IDEALIZED SCENES OF CHILDHOOD BUSTLING WITH COLOUR AND EXCITEMENT HER PAINTINGS ARE FULL OF ORIGINALITY AND CREATIVELY CAPTURES SCENES OF THE CANADIAN LANDSCAPE ITS SEASONS AND POPULAR TRADITIONSSHE DOES NOT SEEK TO CHANGE THE WORLD THROUGH HER ART BUT RATHER HELP THE VIEWER AND ART COLLECTOR TURN TO THE SIMPLER THINGS IN LIFE THAT WARM THE HEART AND SOOTH THE SOULMANY OF HER PAINTINGS HAVE BEEN ON UNICEF CARDS SOLD INTERNATIONALLY SINCE 1993 SHE WAS ALSO THE FIRST OTTAWA ARTIST TO HAVE HER WORKS ACCEPTED BY UNICEF KATERINA HAS RECEIVED SEVERAL AWARDS FROM HER PEERS AND HAS ALSO RECEIVED THE UNITED WAY COMMUNITY BUILDER AWARDKATERINA BELIEVES IN GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE AND DOES SO THROUGH DONATIONS OF HER PAINTINGS AND TIME FOR MANY WORTHY CHARITIES AND ORGANIZATIONS LIKE LOCAL HOSPITALS GREETING CARD COMPANIES CHILDRENS AID SOCIETY AND WOMENS SHELTERS TO NAME A FEWKATERINA HAS ILLUSTRATED 2 BOOKS DAYS TO TREASURE A BOOK OF SEASONS AND WE STAND ON GUARDONE OF KATERINAS PAINTINGS HANGS IN THE OTTAWA MAYORS BOARDROOM CALLED HONOURING MY FATHER THE ORIGINAL PAINTING WAS ALSO TURNED INTO A LIMITED EDITION PRINT BY KOYMAN GALLERIES WITH THE SUPPORT OF OTTAWA CITY HALL POST MEDIA AND OTHER NEWS OUTLETS THE PRINT WAS SOLD WORLDWIDE AND RAISED 75000 FOR SLAIN CORPORAL NATHAN CIRILLOS SON MARCUSKATERINAS WORKS ARE SOLD AT KOYMAN GALLERIES