Painting Series
Kathleen Finlay’s paintings explore the purity of nature contrasting with human interaction and man-made structures. Kathleen weaves a narrative between the past and the present, zooming in and out on the world with a photographic eye. Seeking refuge through a muted and restrained palate, she is fascinated with symbols that remind us that life is fleeting and transient. Her paintings explore architectural, linear and geometric patterns both human-made and observed in the natural world.
Photo Exhibitions
Kathleen Finlay’s first exhibition in Toronto in 1998, Travelogue featured hand printed, toned, black and white silver prints. Her latest series, Les Oniriques features large scale digital color prints. In a photographic career spanning 35+ years, an underlying theme may not seem obvious but certain elements appear time and time again: a quest for beauty outside of the mundane, a desire to create her own magical narrative and a deep reverence for the natural world.
Photo Essays
Invisible social barriers are broken when Kathleen connects with her subject through the camera. A bond and a trust are established in the precious moments she is given access into their world. The goal is always to tell a story, to weave a narrative using visual vocabulary. Always fascinated by persons and how the space they inhabit reveals so much about them, she shares a special bond with creative people.
Curation - Arterial, Artist Residencies, Art Consulting
Since 2018 , Kathleen Finlay has organized multiple curated exhibition events in several Canadian cities, offering an alternative exhibition platform to established and emerging visual artists invited to participate. Additionally, she organized a residency for several visual artists at the internationally celebrated circus creative center Les 7 Doigts in Montreal as well as managing private and corporate art consulting projects in Canada and the US. Most recently she curated Residen(c)y, presented at Art Toronto and Arterial this past fall.
The goal of her collaboration with Arterial through Residen(c)y is to continue creating site-specific events with collections that encourage interactions between artists and collectors in a growing network of communities.
About
Being creative is a life source for Kathleen Finlay. She studied fine arts, has worked as a commercial photographer and has exhibited her fine art work in Canadian and international galleries. Her desire to connect the work of talented artists with collectors has led her to developing many exhibition projects as a curator with The Soulfood and Arterial. In recent years, Kathleen has returned to painting, while continuing her photography work.
Kathleen is represented in Toronto by Arterial and Dimensions . Please contact her to discuss your project or to inquire about collecting her work.
Montreal/Toronto 438 503 6400
