April was born on Haida Gwaii (commonly called the  Queen Charlotte Islands ), off the north west coast of Canada’s British Columbia, just a short boat trip from Alaska. The First Nations people are known by their original name, the Haida.

More talented artists have originated from this small group of islands than anywhere else in Canada. Here art isn’t a past time, it’s a life time.  In 1792, Captain George Vancouver reported seeing many giant wooden human statues.  That same year French expedition leader, Etienne Marchand, marveled at the "paintings everywhere, everywhere sculpture, among a nation of hunters."  He said: "every man is a painter or a sculptor."  

April has dozens of relatives living in these islands, all practicing indigenous art--painting, sculpting, totem poles, carving masks using cedar bark and spruce root in weaving, jewelry making, steaming bentwood boxes and creating art out of the stone unique to the islands, Argillite.  Early in her career, she honed her painting skill and refined her abilities while practicing geology, having graduated from the University of British Columbia.

When you think about it, being a geologist in the vast remoteness of Canada’s West is good experience for any artist. Combine this wilderness experience with a heritage rich in Native Americans’ culture, art, sculpture and music and through her father, a direct descendant of the world-renowned Haida artist, Charles Edenshaw, of the Eagle Clan. 

She is also a relative of the late Bill Reid, the equally famous contemporary Haida sculptor, carver, printmaker and jewelry designer. She gives definition to Native American north west coast art as she captures its landscapes and its indigenous peoples. 

April realized, after a few years in the bush as a geologist, that she was inexplicably possessed by painting---particularly watercolours, for their portability.  After graduation, she finally had time to realize that she had always been drawn to it.

She just hadn’t fully recognized how strong its pull might be. In the eighties, she made the decision to put down her rock pick and hand lens, and pick up her paint brushes for good.