About

I want to create work that feels alive & true

Lindsay Smail leans against a paint splattered wall in her studio.

Lindsay’s oil paintings have been described as mysterious, sensual, and lit from within. Her lyrical line acts as a scaffolding for layers of organic forms that intertwine to create otherworldly abstracts. 

Lindsay studied graphic design at the Ontario College of Art & Design and holds a Master’s in English Literature from the University of Toronto. After pursuing a career in design, she decided to prioritize her own creative work and has developed a rigorous studio practice. 

Mostly self-taught, Lindsay challenges and re-invigorates her work by studying with established artists such as Iris Häussler, Marianne Mitchell, and Robert Szot. 

Her art can be found in private collections in Canada and the US. She currently lives and works in the woods outside Washago, Ontario.

Artist Statement

My work arises from the immediate sensuality of the body experiencing the world, as well as deeper questions of ecology and spirit. The river I swim in and the forest behind my house invite me into a state of wonder and remind me that everything in this world is inextricably connected.

My forms often reflect topography, plant life, or the body, but I am not trying to represent a moment or place. I work abstractly to convey an experience that moves between the internal and the external, what is felt and what is seen.

sky and trees reflected in a still river
sunlight streaming through a window filled with brushes, tins and jars

Whether I’m working with oil paint or collage, I begin with a charcoal line. Drawing forges an intimate connection between the substrate and my inner world. One line begets another in a meditative improvisation.

I use thin layers of oil paint over the charcoal to create shifting relationships of form and colour. Blurring, erasure, and staining echo the mutability and layering of self and environment.

As for inspiration, my work feels like a self-propelling engine. I am always a little dissatisfied. The next painting inspires me. I will never arrive at my destination, but the thought that I might inch closer keeps me going.

Artist CV

Exhibitions

2024 Orillia Landscapes, Orillia Opera House, Orillia, Canada [upcoming]

2024 Square Foot Show, MAC on Main, Bracebridge, Canada [upcoming]

2024 Winter’s Embrace, Muskoka Discovery Centre Gallery, Gravenhurst, Canada

2024 Images Thanksgiving Studio Tour, Oro-Medonte, Canada

2024 Headwaters Fall Festival Juried Art Show, Alton Mills Art Centre, Canada

2024 ArtWalk in the Square, Toronto, Canada

2024 Muskoka in the County, Picton, Canada 

2024 Rosedale Art Fair, Toronto, Canada

2024 Riverdale ArtWalk, Toronto, Canada

2024 The Joy Show, The Jackalope Gallery, Toronto, Canada

2024 Spring Members’ Show, Muskoka Arts & Crafts, Bracebridge, Canada

2024 Art Intelligence, Partial Gallery at Gallery 1313, Toronto, Canada

2023 Off the Wall, Propeller Art Gallery, Toronto, Canada

2023 Shining Our Light, Leslie Grove Gallery, Toronto, Canada

2023 ArtWalk in the Square, Toronto, Canada

2023 Riverdale ArtWalk, Toronto, Canada

2023 Reimagine, Orillia Museum of Art & History, Orillia, Canada

2023 Hello Yellow, Leslie Grove Gallery, Toronto, Canada

2022 Off the Wall, Propeller Art Gallery, Toronto, Canada

2022 Lifelines, Orillia Museum of Art & History, Orillia, Canada

2021 Riverdale ArtWalk, Toronto, Canada

2021 The View From Here, Leslie Grove Gallery, online

2020 Fresh, Artwrk.ca, online

Education

OCADU, courses in Graphic Design

University of Toronto, Master of Arts, English

University of Waterloo, BA Honours, English

 

Memberships

Artists’ Network, Toronto, ON

Muskoka Arts & Crafts, Muskoka, ON

Registered Graphic Designer (RGD), Canada

 

Press

2024 Becoming an Artist: Passion & Persistence, Behind the Village podcast

2024 Artist Spotlight and cover image, Orillia Villager magazine

2023 Interview with Discover Abstract Artists

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