Mary Finlayson

Mary Finlayson (b.1982) is a Canadian-born artist living and working in San Francisco, California. Finlayson’s paintings are a celebration of color, pattern, and form which chronicle and celebrate the aesthetics of everyday life.

Her tightly constructed and highly detailed works capture the feeling of these spaces, evoking the memory of place—often a departure from what is real. Her pieces pay homage to the likes of Corita Kent, Henri Matisse, and Stuart Davis by borrowing similar bright palettes, repetitive patterns, and simplified forms.

Finlayson blends her knowledge of painting and printmaking, attributing her style to a background in silkscreen and lithography. She completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Queen's University in Kingston Ontario, a Graduate Degree in Art Therapy from the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute as well an Arts Education Degree from the University of British Columbia. She completed artist residencies at the Vermont Studio Center as well as OTIS College in LA and recently completed a mural at the Facebook Artist in Residence program in San Francisco, CA. She has created work for Asana, Mohawk, Google, and Anthropologie.

Courtesy of Eleanor Harwood Gallery