Russian Olive (Black), acrylic and pencil on canvas
Marguerite MacIntosh‘s exhibition, From Away, was a series of paintings inspired by local flora that was informed by her background in architecture.
Marguerite MacIntosh began her visual art practice after retiring from work as an architect and raising five children with her husband. She now lives with her husband in Summerland, British Columbia. Through her work, MacIntosh engages with concepts of time and place. She examines current situations and conditions in light of the fleeting present moment, which is the only place and time in which we actually live and exist. This liminal space, between the past and the future, between our inner and outer worlds, between our physical and spiritual realities, is what drives much of her painting, drawing, and multimedia explorations.
From Away examined MacIntosh’s recent move from the coast to the Okanagan region of British Columbia. In the midst of renovating a century-old home and garden in this new environment, she reflected on her own status as a newcomer establishing a home. Plants and trees found in her new locale, either within her garden or surrounding landscapes, appear in her artworks in their varying seasons of maturity and renewal. Although the species depicted are non-native, they adapt and flourish in their new environments.
Free-flowing organic elements are layered between crisp dotted grids within this work. These geometric elements are informed by her background in architecture and are often depicted in combination with gestural mark-making and loose painterly brushstrokes. With this, MacIntosh considers the interface of the built environment within the landscape. These grids of dots represent for the artist intangible and transcendent experiences within ordinary life. MacIntosh contemplates the ways we, as organic forms, exist within liminal spaces and adapt to new environments, similar to plants.
Learn more about Marguerite at her website: www.margueritemacintosh.com
and at her Instagram: @marguerite.macintosh