Artist Statement 2012

The reconstruction of past experiences and retrieval of small radiant moments that exist in my memory define the images I chose to paint. The paintings that emerge come from the subconscious trigger of memory, of swimming in the liquid landscapes of northern Ontario and the deep aqua waters of the Caribbean. I work primarily with oil paint on canvas, layering thin washes with thicker impasto, occasionally working on wood panel and incorporating cold wax and graphite. The work is both abstract and figurative and explores the memory myth of summer. The paintings are a map of my internal logic in both abstract and narrative form. I look to explore notions of self within the resonance of shared memory. This drives me to paint the same image repeatedly, looking for an entry point into the subconscious, occasionally scratching notes into the paint as symbols to carry the work forward. The luminescence of water continues to fascinate me in its three elemental forms.

Artist statement 2011 | Artist statement 2010 | Artist statement 2009 | Artist statement 2008

Biography

Elizabeth Lennie is an actress who lives in mid-town Toronto with husband actor/author Mike Kirby and their three daughters. Together Mike and "Libby" run Voiceworx.