Viola Frazier:
CLASS OF 1963
Danforth Technical High SchoolClass of 1963
Toronto, ON
Viola's Story
Life
I took Chemistry while at DTS and was just one of 3 women in the class which made things uneasy at times but was what I needed to do.
After Danforth I went on to work at U of T doing medical research at the Faculty of Medicine. This wasn't really what I was meant to do and the Artist in me came screaming out and I got into commercial art until I married and had 2 children
I finally went back to school when my daughter went to jr. kindergarten and my son went into the first grade at the school where I had done my grade 8, Balmy Beach School.
Then the real thing hit and I went to OCA where I started out in fine art and ended up in experimental art as my home while there.
I was very busy, going to school, being a single mom and renovating a handyman's special house.
We moved to Virginia in 1978, where we built a house with my new husband (whom I met at OCA). All my family came down to help build this house in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia near Charlottesville.
I continued to paint and sold my first painting to the Blue Ridge School in their artists show had my last child shortly after.
Unfortunately, my wandering spirit drove me home to Canada when things got a too heavy for myself and my 3 kids.
I began working in Group homes in VA and continued on when I landed back in Ontario as a recr...Expand for more
eation counselor. Here I met with my mentor, Timothy Findley, who helped me buy and rebuild my last house. With all his strength and belief in me, I went into business with a couple of other women and stayed on as owner until I lost it when the recession hit in 1992.
After this devastation I moved with my youngest son to New Brunswick. While there, I continued on with social service work and took 2 courses, "Psychology" and "Human Relations".
My daughter graduated from University in Guelph, ON, the following year and I moved back to Toronto in 1998.
I first found volunteer work in the theatre and then paid work in the 'properties' field and have been working on contract for COC and many other theatre companies for the past 12 years.
I, then, found paying work at Canadian Stage Company and Canadian Opera Company as a props builder. Then in the mascot industry and worked as a sculptor/carver/coverer/costumer for over 7 years as a contract worker.
I took the IATSE film course at Ryerson and did some work in film in Toronto.
I went back to school taking the Foundations of Teaching and Learning to Teach Adults at George Brown College.
Still looking for that dream job, possibly a transient one with time in Mexico and northeastern Ontario in the summers.
Would love to build a sauna raft if anyone would like to join me!
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