Artist ROD CHARLESWORTH was born in northern British Columbia and then moved south to the province’s Okanagan Valley at a young age. The surrealists influenced his earliest paintings. He then discovered the works of the impressionist school which has led him to his current artistic interests. Those include a keen interest in experimenting with colour and the physical qualities of paint. Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven have also had a profound influence on his work. Rod's work is collected worldwide and he is committed to painting images that have a strong Canadian cultural influence, whether it is expressed though his bold landscapes or his whimsical images of children at play.