There has been some discussion as to whether or not to include an "About The Artist" page.  I asked all my family, friends, and several of my colleagues, and the vote came in pretty close to an even tie. Some people said they loved reading about the people behind the art, and others felt it is not professional to add such a page to a business site.  I am a very informal person and because I enjoy reading about people, this page has been added.

My name is Ana Margarida Teresa Dos Santos Da Silveira Bettencourt Tirolese and I am from Canada but was born on the island of São Jorge, Açores (Azores), Portugal.  I was born on February 19, 1962 to Liduina (nee Silveira) and Vasco Bettencourt, in my maternal grandparent's home, in the village of Ribeira Seca.

I came to Canada at the young age of 4 going on 5 (came in January, turned 5 in February). So, you see, I have been here most of my life. I can still speak, read and write Portuguese, but not as well as English.

I have been drawing and creating art all my life. I studied to become an artist, and then a graphic designer. I very much enjoy creating art and working in graphic design. I did that for many years but gave it up in 2001 when I decided to go work for Bell Canada as a customer service representative. I still occasionally created art on the side for fun.

Recently, having rediscovered my creative side and my love for portrait drawing was revived. I have started to do my art again with passion and vigour. I have a driving desire to create beautiful things. It is very therapeutic to be able to create these works of art. My passion stretches beyond a hobby to a means of expression and communication.

The techniques I use are a crafted blend of personal study derived from books, methods used by other artists and my own creativity and sense of drawing.

This site came about as a way for me to learn some new software (and to prove to myself I could still design). I refer to myself as both a web master and a web designer because I approach each web project with an eye for aesthetics as well as functionality. I become very frustrated with sites that are too busy or difficult to navigate. I prefer simplicity and easy navigation in my sites, but I need them to also work well visually. I strive for that balance in the sites I create.

I hope you enjoy your tour of my site.

Best Regards,
Ana Tirolese
Owner, Designer, Illustrator, and Webmaster

Read a Story about Ana Tirolese Design and Graphics from Spring 2000 Newsletter of the Hamilton Road Area Business Association.