About Us
Al and Julia are fine artists who split their time between Kitchener Ontario and their cottage just south of Kincardine on Lake Huron. They got married in St. Lucia, one of the most beautiful islands on the planet, and discovered a different world right below the surface of the water. If you ever wanted to travel to other planets, where alien landscapes and life are both beautiful and unimaginably bizarre, look no further than right below the surface of the tropical oceans. Every time we put on our masks and fins and visit below, we are constantly reminded that we are there as guests, observers and hopefully welcomed. It didn’t take long before we were hooked and armed ourselves with cameras to capture underwater snapshots in time. Once we get back to our studio space, the challenge is to choose the photos which will best translate our experiences through our art, in a way where others can enjoy our memories as much as we do.
To learn more about our snorkelling destination, visit Where We Snorkel
Julia Claus
Art has always been a central part of my life—creating, teaching, and collecting have shaped my journey. With a BFA from the University of Western Ontario and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Toronto, I’ve had the privilege of teaching young artists at Rodman Hall Art Centre in St. Catharines and the Art Gallery of Hamilton. Later, I worked with middle school students in art and special education for the Hamilton Board of Education. My artistic growth continues to be enriched through ongoing classes and workshops, both in person and online, at the Dundas Valley School of Art and the Waterloo Button Factory Art Centre. While I work with a variety of mediums, including Lino-cuts, acrylics, and chalk pastels, in recent years my focus has turned to watercolour, a medium that allows me to capture the fluidity and beauty of the natural world.
This select body of work reflects a shared passion that my husband, Al Schmidt, and I have for travel, snorkelling, and watercolour painting. Both of us take underwater photos, which inspire the paintings we create. Through our art, we hope to share the magic and serenity of coral reefs. Whether you’ve experienced snorkelling firsthand or dream of it, our limited edition prints offer an invitation to escape into this underwater world—a reminder of the beauty and tranquility that lies beneath the surface.
Al Schmidt
I have always been drawn to creating things with my hands, starting my working career as a construction labourer then carpenter and eventually to renovating and building houses. I have taught Construction Technology; designing and running co-op programs where students built complete houses for new home builders. That led to recruiting and training other instructors in many School Boards to do the same. The success of this program led me a position on the Board of Directors for Skills Canada, a nonprofit organization , promoting the skilled trades. My career came full circle when I returned to the private sector as a consultant specializing in energy-efficient new home construction. My wife Julia and I started a company that tested and labelled more that 11,000 ENERGY STAR Certified Homes in Ontario.
In my early teaching career in Hamilton, I met a well respected watercolour artist named Carmen Harrison, the Head of our Art department. Carm saw my creative streak and introduced me to watercolours. This sparked a passion that led me to take private lessons with him and later with accomplished artists Laura Urquhart in Kitchener and Marlene Jofriet in Guelph. I have also taken classes at the Dundas Valley School of Art and served a 3 year term on the Board of Directors of the Homer Watson Art Gallery.
Watercolour has been both a challenge and a joy for me. Its unpredictability, combined with the careful planning it requires, keeps me engaged. I enjoy pushing the boundaries of the medium, always experimenting with subject matter, the play of light, and colour. After painting landscapes and urban scenes, I found a real passion in the magical and alien realm of underwater reefs. My wife encouraged me to return to painting during the COVID lock-downs. Painting allowed me to relive my travel adventures with renewed creativity and sense of wonder. Now that we are travelling again, the creativity and painting continues……
