Ten years ago, I walked into a friend’s kitchen to see her new hobby sitting on the table: a small, postcard-sized watercolour of a bird. She remarked that it was a new calming hobby, to which I replied–my dear, it’s much more than that. And so it seems fitting for me to write this bio for my dear friend, whom I knew was going to be a professional painter before she did.
Maria Antoinette Reimer (nee “Hoorman”), aka “Toni”, grew up in rural Ontario before her family’s relocation to Manitoba in her late teens: just in time to meet her future Winnipeg-born husband of thirty years, Nathan.
An unmistakable creative soul, Toni is a true triple threat: a classical guitarist, a formidably trained actor, and now, gifted painter with a specialty in watercolour. The common thread to her creativity? Technique. Toni is a technician, and brings to her art the very same practiced skill she brought to both the guitar and the craft of acting: meticulous, laboured analysis and study that ultimately leads to creative abandon.
I have watched Toni move effortlessly (though she would most certainly disagree!) from practicing technique with no instruction at all by copying standard techniques in subjects like birds and flowers, to applying that technique in developing her own style and palette, to now high-concept larger works with tremendous psychological depth. Her themes, daring; her artistic insights, both astute and comedic; her technique, ever-reaching for clearer and stronger ways to communicate the thoughts, stories, and emotional resonance that continue to pour from her and onto the canvas.
And yet, somehow, with all of these accolades and achievements… my dear friend is just getting going.
-Written by Kristen Harris, friend
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Which ’hood are you in?
I live and create in the beautiful Wolseley neighbourhood.
What do you do?
I am a watercolour painter. My style is always evolving, but my main focus is exploring humanity. I currently love bold shapes and colours, and am working on a larger scale than ever before.
What are you currently working on?
I have a few upcoming exhibitions for which I’m creating collections. I’m currently fascinated by healthy and unhealthy patterns of communication. Communication is the main theme for my fall 2026 collection.
Where can we find your work?
I will be exhibiting at the Victoria Beach Social Club, August 15-16, as part of the Boreal Shores Art Tour. In October/November of this year, I have a solo exhibit at Pulse Gallery at the Forks. I post a lot of my work on Instagram and my website.
