Niagara artist paints ‘love letter to Canada’ on retired classic airplane in her Wainfleet, Ont., yard

Niagara artist Paula Jane Marie has taken her love for all things Canadian to a whole new level.

In her yard in Ontario’s Wainfleet township, there’s a retired plane that the self-made artist has used as a canvas for painting moose, loons, a beaver and other iconic Canadian symbols.

Jane Marie, who runs Windhaven Gallery in the bucolic countryside of Wainfleet, started her high-flying adventure after learning about a decommissioned airplane sitting on a tarmac at a private airfield in Hamilton.

The plane is a Piel Emeraude, a model originally designed in France in the 1950s. It was hand built in 1974 in a Hamilton garage by Jack Wiebe, a prolific plane builder who was a legend in the recreational flying community. He died in 2022.

Jane Marie said the plane was airborne for 35 years, with Wiebe and his son Mike climbing into the tight quarters of the cockpit and flying it from coast to coast.

The plane “went across Canada with the two of them,” she said. “It saw a lot of miles.”

After it was retired in 2009, the plane — one of 10 that Jack built over 40 years — was largely forgotten on the Hamilton tarmac until Jane Marie sought to acquire it about five years ago. The wings were removed and shipped on a trailer along with the fuselage to her home, where they were reattached.

‘No one told me I couldn’t paint it, so I did’

For a time, Jane Marie wasn’t sure what to do with the unusual acquisition, which she has nicknamed Baby.

“It took me a while to think about it. No one told me I couldn’t paint it, so I did.”

Jane Marie has named her airplane Baby. Sitting in her yard in Wainfleet, she painted it with Canadian images. (Paul Forsyth/CBC)

By the time she began working her artistry on the plane in 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump’s talk of tariffs and taunts about making Canada the 51st state had emerged.

But that’s not why the artist, who was born in Ireland, decided to adopt a Canadiana theme for the plane.

“It’s not even a political thought: this was about the story of her,” she said. “Her history was that she had flown all over Canada and I thought, ‘What better way to repurpose her?'”

It took the entire summer and into early fall to paint the airplane, which features images reflecting the 10 provinces and three territories, from a lighthouse and puffins representing Newfoundland, to landscapes depicting the Northwest Territories.

This year, she spent time touching up and perfecting the various panels, then applied a generous coating of protective epoxy.

Jane Marie calls the project a “love letter to Canada.”

Builder was revered among aviation enthusiasts

Gary Wolf of Waterloo region is president of the Recreational Aircraft Association of Canada.

Wolf said Jack Wiebe was highly respected for his craftsmanship. Building a recreational aircraft, all of which must pass strict federal inspections during construction, can be a massive investment of time with thousands of rivets, plumbing, wiring and engine installation, said Wolf.

“Jack was very precise,” he said.”Some people only have one aircraft in them; Jack had 10.”

But Wiebe also gained widespread respect for his willingness to be a mentor to others wanting to build recreational aircraft, said Wolf.

“It was never for the money — he always did it for free for everybody. He was very important to the industry.”

Jane Marie is considering how to share her aviation artwork, possibly to get children talking about their country.

“I think she [the plane] has a good story,” she said. “She could be a real teaching tool for kids.”

Cars driving by sometimes hit the brakes to gawk at the plane, which is partially obscured by trees in the yard. But Jane Marie hopes more people will soon learn about it.

“She’s a secret [but] she can’t be a secret anymore. She has to be seen.

“As an artist, that’s what you want. You don’t care if anybody buys anything, but you definitely want it to be seen,” she added.

“The act of creating is to be shared.”