Toye Chanpen Hayes was born in Thailand. For many years she was a teacher of English as a foreign language and also a teacher-trainer in Thai secondary schools and universities. As teaching took up most of her life, she had little time for the drawing that filled her spare time when she was a child. She left teaching and moved to England after her son was born in 2003. There, for three years, Toye finally had a chance to study art and to begin the artistic career she had always dreamed of. She started by illustrating her first bilingual (Thai-English) children’s book.  In July 2006, she moved with her family to Canada and here Toye has started painting in earnest. Her subject matter comes now from her interest in international cultures, landscapes and flowers. Acrylic is the most common medium for her paintings, though she occasionally works in watercolour.  She is willing to undertake commissions.