Expressionist painter Marion Lindsay finds peace when sitting beside the ocean or walking through the forest. This tranquility is echoed in her self-expressive, non-conformist paintings featuring vivid colour and interesting investigations in mixed-media surface. Her work, which is on display at the Foyer Gallery this month, is experimental and off the wall 鈥� both figuratively and literally, considering the physical depth of texture that she exploits to create what might be described as vertical sculptures.听
听鈥淲hen I first began to paint, I worked from pictures. I found it to be too constricting to paint that way, concentrating on how to make my painting look like the image. I discovered that painting from my imagination gave me artistic freedom and a creative playfulness, making painting more relaxing and fun. Now, when I begin a painting, I have a general idea of what I want to paint, and I just let things evolve as I go along,鈥� says Lindsay.听
She has dabbled at art intermittently through the years but only began painting regularly in 2011, when she started selling her work to local and international buyers, some from the U.S. and the U.K.
With no art training except for a few night school classes and workshops, Lindsay is mostly self-taught, and her passions extend through the arts with a love of music, singing, dancing and writing poetry. She also enjoys spending time with her family and dogs.听
In her paintings, Lindsay also demonstrates her love of antiques with lines and cracks that show age and wear, which inspired her to create 鈥淏ehind the Green Door.鈥�
鈥淚 am blessed to live in Squamish鈥� where I am surrounded by forests, mountains and oceans, from which I find inspiration to paint. I love the work of Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh, whom I admire for their superb use of colour and the emotion their work conveys. It is my dream, one day, to see their works in person,鈥� she says.
Upon retirement, Lindsay plans to pursue painting full-time and keep learning, experimenting and growing as an artist.听
Also at the Foyer Gallery this month, the cases are filled with treasures of the past that have been recycled into vintage jewelry by local entrepreneur Carole O鈥橞rennan of The Dish and Spoon. For the past four years, O鈥橞rennan has been breathing new life into former functional flatware or souvenir collection discards. What had become 辫补蝉蝉茅 gets transformed into fashionable and sometimes quirky surprises.听
O鈥橞rennan鈥檚 creative upcycling process starts with examining the piece of flatware for thickness and weight to determine what it might be best suited, with fine scratches and wear marks adding to the story. Her inventory includes a variety of custom hooks, keychains, earrings and necklaces with a wide selection of what she calls 鈥渟poon rings.鈥�
A mother of five, O鈥橞rennan is passionate about family and community.听
鈥淎lthough my education was in finance, I began handcrafting silver plate and sterling silver flatware at home after a very dear friend showed me her spoon ring,鈥� she says. 鈥淭his鈥� allowed me stay at home with my children.鈥�
Over the years, O鈥橞rennan鈥檚 work has evolved from basic creations to a better understanding of materials and keeping her pieces interesting with new ideas. She considers herself an enterprising tradesperson rather than an artist, and she plans to eventually work with precious metals.
A 40-year resident, O鈥橞rennan is proud to call Squamish home. Through her virtual store, she ships her art including a card that reads 鈥淗andcrafted in Squamish, 小蓝视频 Canada.鈥澨�
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Toby Jaxon is curator of The Foyer Gallery, located in Squamish Public Library.
