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visual arts thing that I haven't done before," O n l e y tells me as our interview draws to an end. "I feel m y w o r k is getting better." ·so Toni Onley's series of Egypt paintings were displayed in the Silk Purse Gallery in early October as part of an exhibit titled Travels in W a t e r c o l o u r . His work will be shown in Hong Kong and at Victorias Winchester Gallery in early 1998. Toni Onley enced by the personal events that have touched his life. In 1993, O n l e y presented a series o f pictures at the S e y m o u r A r t G a l l e r y that were inspired by the searing breakup o f his third marriage. Titled Japan Remembered, the show was highly personal, featuring collages, many o f w h i c h were actually formed from pages o f Onley's diary. F o r the S i l k Purse show, O n l e y created a series o f desert watercolours that he painted during a visit w i t h his son i n Egypt this fall. H e is adamant about the importance o f the personal i n the work o f any artist. "If I'm not going to w o r k out o f my o w n experience than whose experience am I going to w o r k out of? I mean, you can't get too personal, for God's sake. It's m y life." Onley's art also reflects his environmental and humanitarian concerns. In 1989 he created a series o f watercolours for a book titled Onley's Arctic: Diaries and Paintings of the High Arctic. The paintings were designed to capture the pristine beauty o f the northern tundra, a landscape that O n l e y worries w i l l soon be overcome by the scarring effects o f encroaching industry. In his 1985 collaboration with George W o o d c o c k . The Walls of India. O n l e y used his talents to portray scenes o f India, a place that is close to his heart. Indeed, O n l e y has made Indian relief aid his first priority and currently sits as vice-president o f the Canada India Village A i d Association. Onley's forays into political issues are driven by a sense o f duty. "Sometimes something comes m y way and I feel like I've been chosen, and i f I don't do something and this opportunity passes, I'll never forgive myself because I was right i n that position where I c o u l d have done something that w o u l d have made a difference." It's been over 30 years since O n l e y traded his career as a fine arts professor for the life o f an artist. O v e r the decades. O n l e y has experimented with many media: silkscreen, collage, and, o f course, watercolour landscapes. H i s w o r k sits i n the permanent collections o f some o f the world's most prestigious museums, including London's Tate Gallery, the National G a l l e r y o f Canada, and the Library o f Congress in Washington, D C . H i s current w o r k is part o f a continuing process, reflecting years o f technical practice and personal experience. A n d his art hasn't stopped e v o l v i n g . "When I pick up a brush I feel I'm going to do some- A tasteful collection of fine crafts, pottery, and home decor, selected for your Westcoast Lifestyle... in the ever changing seasons of Sylvan. Syiuati 3080 Edgemont Blvd. North Vancouver, 986-4863