The 70's marked a time of great changes, with a move from the vibrancy of downtown Montreal to sedate Ottawa (Sandy Hill) marriage (Beacon Hill) and the arrival of our firstborn, a son, whom we gave a good French Canadian name, André. Painting was always there as something I could turn to, in-between the daily chores of being a mother and housewife. Moving back to Montreal, our 2nd son, Carlos was born at the Lakeshore General in 1973. Enough of French, we reverted to Portuguese names to reflect our ancestry.

I struggled through severe post-partem depression and escaped for a few days spending time with a friend and in a convent in Ottawa, searching for answers to questions I didn't have. The remedy worked. I felt better on my return. Then came the move from big-city Montreal to small-town Arvida, Jonquière, in the Lac St. Jean region where another side of the French-Canadian culture became evident. Since they were very arts-oriented, I was able to connect quickly with local artists and visionaries and held several solo exhibits at the Centre Culturel de Jonquière and at La Galérie de l'Arche getting a boost from much newspaper/TV coverage. I gave workshops in batik.

POEM: SAGUENAY STORM - 1976

"Dusk spilled over the town and soon darkness squirted us in clumps in all directions, distorting into splashes of indigo, shapes of witches & snow-geese.

A pause, a stillness and then it came. Lashing winds grappling each other in drunken fury, spasms of wild laughter, branches hurtling wicked crackling sounds of warning.

And then the downpour."

After 3 years in the Saguenay Valley, we uprooted again, moving back to suburban Montreal in 1978. It took a while and a lot of adjustment before I started painting again instead immersing myself in piano-teaching which I loved. I stopped doing batik as it was messy. I joined the local indoor tennis club and blended into the 'suburban lifestyle' which meant that keeping up with the neighbours and keeping the house presentable became prime - I was far from being an expert.