Erla Mottram was born in Kimberly , British Columbia and raised in the Columbia Valley . She grew up helping her parents with their Palliser River Guiding and Outfitting business (guiding hunters on horseback through the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia).

She started watercolor painting in 1995 inspired by her many hiking and skiing experiences in the Rockies - Mount Assiniboine, Skoki, Lake O'Hara, the Palliser River and Kananaskis. Before she became a full time artist, Erla had a successful career as a Registered Nurse and raised her 3 children. Now, she spends her time between Calgary, AB, Kelowna, BC and her beloved Windsong on Columbia in Brisco, BC .

Courses Erla has taken:

• May 2005 – Loire Valley , France – Studying under Karin Richter
• 2004 - Making Art Your Business with Elyse Eliot-Los of Fibrespace Studio, Benalto , AB
• 2004 – Watercolor, mixed and experimental media with Ursula Reynolds of River Rock Studios http://www.riverrockstudio.com – Cochrane , AB
• 2002 to present – Studying under Karin Richter of Calgary , AB