In 1998 Marie along with her husband and son moved to Victoria, BC. Marie was drawn to Victoria because of its mountains and proximity to the ocean - echoes of the place where she grew up. A year later they started Functional Art Studios, a small company creating hand painted decorative pillows. The pillows got rave reviews from boutique and gallery owners as well as the public. The response was so encouraging that Marie returned to painting full time. Marie describes her works as "positive" and "life affirming". Frequent themes include "order emerges from chaos", hope as eternal, and triumph of the human spirit over adversity. Her palette is colourful and vivid. Her style encompasses geometric abstraction and symbolism.

"I paint because I need to,'  she says. "There is something within that needs to come out, to be expressed, to be communicated to the world. And when that work makes someone smile, feel, or gives them pleasure at the end of a long day, the reward for the artist is great indeed. Your life as an artist makes sense."