Biographical Information for Blair M. Thorson:  

I was born in Calgary, Alta and grew up in Calgary and Prince Albert, Sask.  I am of First Nations Heritage, originating from Central Alberta.  I lived in Whitehorse, Yukon with my wife Linda from 1998 to 2018 and absolutely loved it before relocating to Central Alberta to establish our new home.

I have been interested in art for as long as I can remember.  After receiving Art Awards in grades 9 and 12, I was encouraged to continue my interest in art and started exploring different techniques and mediums as a self taught hobby artist.  Life experiences and world travel have developed my work to what it is today.  I have emerged into the world as an "Artist" love the world of creativity.

Prior to retirement, my livelihood as a hydrometric surveyor took me throughout Northern Canada and this travel influenced my present style of art by allowing me to observe wildlife and First Nations people indigenous to the lands, living as they have for hundreds of years.  I have always loved maps and did my first illustration on a map as a thank you gift for some friends.  The acceptance and comments about that one gift sparked something and the creative juices in me started to flow.  When the opportunity to acquire old maps that were being thrown away came to my attention, I jumped at the chance and have continued doing watercolour illustrations on maps ever since.  Each illustration depicts what the subject might have done while living off of or on the land that the map it/they are drawn on reflects.

Since retirement, I have expanded my artistic horizons by learning to do Bark Carvings and creating my illustrations onto leather.  It has been so much fun learning new ways to express myself through my art.