Chronology

1969 Victoria was born in London, England in 1969 and raised by Catholic Spanish / French parents. Due to her exceptional circumstances (she is an intersex/transsexual woman) Victoria has experienced life in the role of both genders. Though Victoria is female, because she was born with external male genitalia due to an extra Y chromosome she lived for a time as a perceived male. Victoria's recognised "social transition" was the 7th July 2009 when she began living full-time as a female in the public eye.

Victoria has stated in the past "My singular medical and psychological history has informed who and what I am but it is not all of me. From birth I was perceived as male, raised as male and lived as a male until 2008 when I was recognized as female. This has left a lasting impression on my life and informs the person I am today."

1970-79 Through early childhood Cantons’ parents take her annually to both Spain and France.

1980-86 Attends Bishop Thomas Grant Secondary School, London. Is encouraged to pursue her love of drawing by art teachers and joins the after school camera club. At the age of ten is given first 35mm camera, a Pentax ME Super. Spends several summers in Canada with relatives.

1990 Cantons is taught by Christine Conitzer, a friend’s mother and portrait painter, to paint in oil. She attends the Vidal Sassoon School of Hairdressing, London. After graduation with merit, she goes on to work at the Vidal Sassoon Sloane Street London salon. Victoria explores through hairdressing the relationship between sculptured shapes and colour. Learns to play guitar.

1991 Cantons holds her first private show of small paintings in his flat. All eight pieces on sale are sold and Cantons receives her first three commissions for portraits.

1992 Meets A. Stewart Mackay, a landscape painter, and is tutored for the year by him. Has second private show of paintings and photographs in his flat. Six of the eight pieces shown are sold and four more portrait commissions are received. Begins relationship with Gabriella Robinson, they live together in London. Forms rock band, Agent Orange, with four other musicians. Takes centre stage as singer and lyricist.

1993 A patron holds a private show of paintings and photographs in her flat. Five pieces are sold and four more portrait commissions are received. Unfortunately all documentation relating to Cantons’ work during this period has been lost.

1995 In March Agent Orange break up. Is introduced to the painter, Richard Harrison, who impresses Cantons with his work. Cantons decides to backpack through South East Asia from June to November with Gabriella. On return forms new five piece band called Sqerm.

1997 Photographic record of 800 images and documentation of artwork was lost in 1997. Sqerm falls apart and relationship with Gabriella Robinson ends. Moves out of shared home and in with drummer, Dean, from Sqerm.

1998 Visits New York with close friend, David Conitzer, for ten days in May. Whilst there, she goes to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim and the Museum of Modern Art. Cantons paints her first large scale canvases – Beginning of Peace and Blossoming of Peace. She holds a solo show at Spaghetti Western Restaurant in Dulwich, London. Of the nine paintings exhibited three are sold including Blossoming of peace for £900.

1999 Cantons travels solo to the west coast of USA in June. She rents a flat in San Diego, California, and then explores up and down the West Coast. In August she goes across the border to Mexico and experiences a bullfight. The photos become the Blood and the Pursuit of Glory series. In October Cantons returns to London for two weeks before flying back to New York. She stays with Michelle Wadleigh in NJ and is introduced to the Religious Science philosophy.

2000 Returns to London from the East Coast, USA in January. Begins working again as a hairdresser. Begins relationship with Dina Almuli, an Art History student from Goldsmiths University. Continues to paint both figurative and abstract pieces.

2001 Opens own unisex hair and beauty salon in Morden, London.

2002 Father dies of a heart attack on 8 July. Relationship with Dina ends.

2003 Cantons begins relationship with Emma Petre, a singer, songwriter, pianist and mother of two children, a boy and girl. Being that Victoria is still functioning in the world as a male she proposes marriage to Emma. Hair salon is sold in December.

2004 In March Cantons acquires a 220 sq. ft artist studio space at Wimbledon Art Studios and embarks on new paintings. In June she holds a solo show in the studio, this leads to work being exhibited at various galleries and art fairs during the summer. In August the studio is expanded to 500 sq. ft.

2005 Completes 18 paintings in New World Order Series. Begins New Series The Nature Of Man. June 18th marries Emma Petre at the Catholic Church of English Martyrs followed by a Science of Mind Blessing at the Richmond Hill Hotel. During June and July travels to Hong Kong, Bali, Singapore and San Francisco. Attends Science of Mind conference in Asilomar, California. During the autumn completes 4 works from The Nature Of Man Series. In November attends by invitation the Baja 1000 Off-Road Race to photograph the event.

2006 Cantons is employed by International Racing Consultants (IRC), a company based in California, to photograph sporting events. No painting takes place during the year, only photography.

2007 Continues to work for IRC. No painting takes place during the year, only photography.

2008 Gender issues begin to manifest themselves – Victoria suffers from depression. Work in all forms, art and photography has taken a back seat.

2009 Victoria seeks medical help in April and is diagnosed as suffering from Gender Identity Disorder – a symptom of the fact that she is transsexual. She starts the journey of social and physiological transition from male to female. Victoria and Emma remain together as a couple.

2010 Victoria is now living full time as a woman with a transgender past. She Returns to painting by exhibiting at the “Untitled Art Show” in London at the beginning of June.