FROM THE INSIDE : a solo exhibition of works by Mary Finlayson

With this exhibition, ZINC Contemporary is pleased to welcome San Francisco based Mary Finlayson to it’s roster.  FROM THE INSIDE  highlights a new body of paintings and textile works featuring her signature interior still lifes.   

For many years, Finlayson’s work has referenced her own home. But like many others, the artist found herself  in the midst of the pandemic “feeling sick” and looking for escape from her everyday environment.  Of her exhibition Finlayson states “Everything flipped and I began thinking about my paintings as an escape -  a controlled, colorful escape. I want to offer that to others." FROM THE INSIDE reverberates with an energizing color palette of fanciful patterns and abstracted everyday objects with velvety matte surfaces derived from a combination of gouache and flashe paint. Her creative process involves immense attention to detail and meticulous planning of the composition. However, Finlayson does not plan her color palette ahead of time, instead she allows herself to make decisions about color on the fly - “it’s as if one color is in conversation with the next”.  

Originally from Vancouver, British Columbia, Finlayson holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Queen’s University and a Graduate Degree in Art Therapy from the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute as well an Arts Education Degree from the University of British Columbia. Her work has been featured in solo exhibitions and art fairs throughout the US and large scale murals adorn the walls of Asana, Google, Facebook and Anthropologie.