Gretchen Markle has got around. She went to French Schools long before there were any immersion programmes. She studied biology and forestry, travelled, worked in illustration, geological exploration and teaching before turning to fine art.

Similarly, she has lived in wideflung places. She was born and raised in Northern Ontario, where her early years were spent on the North Shore of Lake Huron. In 1976, she moved to Vancouver Island and the Pacific Ocean. In 2010, she moved to the South Shore of Nova Scotia. In April, 2012, she moved back to her beloved Vancouver Island, taking with her wonderful memories of the Atlantic coast. Finally, in 2013 she moved to Gabriola, a beautiful island just off the eastern coast of Vancouver Island in the Salish Sea.