YummyArty is a slice of Andrea’s story. Now in her forties, she began her work life as a dessert caterer for private and corporate events, then became the baker and partner in a counter-culture restaurant in the west end of Toronto. After six years, changes in the neighbourhood led to its closure. In 2012, she returned to her first love—painting. Born with challenges, which she has not allowed to define her, Andrea works from her home studio in her apartment on the Danforth and a small studio at the Akin Collective. While introduced to the media of ink and water colour by art teacher Tanya Chilova, Andrea is self taught. Whether she is working in acrylic, ink, watercolour or occasionally oil, her exploration of the use of colour is the unifying theme of her art. Her approach is abstract whether she is depicting mood, (The Blues), urban or natural landscape (Windows, Arctic Waters), people (Seated Blond), events (Passover Series) or experiences (Clubbing on King). Her colours are bold and confident but can also be soft and subtle. Her compositions feel spontaneous, but are also intentional, layered and complex. They play with light and perspective. They make a statement-then draw you in to find another brush stroke, a dab of colour or a significant detail you have not noticed before. Just as Andrea herself challenges us to look beyond the surface to see what is really inside, so her painting calls us to come back and take a second look. Andrea’s works are now in collections in Baltimore, New York, St. Barths, Fredericton, Markham, Aurora, Thunder Bay, Port Credit, Toronto and Collingwood.