Studio Stories: Elise Findlay & the Clematis Collective
We know our Show + Sale artists go above and beyond, and graduating BFA Painting student Elise Findlay (she/her) is no exception. This month, we asked her to share some of her experiences as a member of the Clematis Collective, an art-making and mental health support group that she helps lead in the AUArts community.
Photo credit: Courtesy of the Marion Nicoll Gallery.
Interview with Elise Findlay
Q: “Tell me a little bit about yourself and how you came to be a part of the Clematis Collective.”
A: I am a visual artist based in Banff, Alberta in my final year of study here at AUArts. If you have been to the Show + Sale Virtual Markets since 2021, you may recognize my distinctive style in the semi-abstracted landscapes I make. I mostly draw and paint but recently I’ve been experimenting with mixed media and fibre work. My work always begins with connection and experience in place. As a landscape artist that comes from a primarily settler background it’s important for me to have personal knowledge and connection to a place – to its flora and fauna - before I depict it.
The Clematis Collective is a group of primarily female-identifying/queer/non-binary artists that worked with each other during the AUArts SA’s Hear/D Residency, which is our school’s student-led mental health related art residency (and the only one of its kind in Canada!). As a student who has been through Hear/D as both an artist and a mentor, I know that it’s a fantastic program. The residency itself becomes a brave space for people to talk about mental health, which is invaluable. Our collective members missed the community and support system that we created together during the residency, so we thought, why not keep this going? We chose the clematis as our symbol because it’s a beautiful flower, found natively and domestically in Alberta. In order to thrive, it requires a support structure like a trellis. In our collective, our goal is to help each other blossom. Currently all Clematis Collective members are alumna of Hear/D though we plan to open it up to students in the future.
One of my mixed media pieces on birch bark "S-Turn". Photo credit: Elise Findlay.
Q: “The Clematis Collective just had a group show at the school's Marion Nicoll Gallery "The Place I Am". That must be exciting! What was the exhibition about?”
A: Yes, our show at the Marion Nicoll Gallery was very exciting. It’s a huge milestone for us, since it’s the first official showing of the Clematis Collective in a public space. Exhibiting artists include: Rachel Denbina, Laura Olive, Vivian Smith, Chloe Macdonald, and myself.
Our exhibition theme “The Place I Am” emerged out our feelings of isolation during the pandemic. We all struggled with mental health during the past few years and after discussions on how we coped from being separated from family, friends, and school, we found that we all turned to being outside in nature as a coping mechanism. Whether it was a hike in the mountains or just a short walk around the neighbourhood, we realized that even if we couldn’t be connected to the people we loved, we still had a connection to the places we live and love. For the show each of us reflected on our relationship to home and place, and how important it is for us.
If you want to view “The Place I Am”, head to the Marion Nicoll Gallery website. We will also be showing our work next spring at the Leighton Center.
Exhibition "The Place I Am". Photo credit: Courtesy of the Marion Nicoll Gallery.
Q: “Tell me about your piece in the exhibition: "The Source".”
A: “The Source” is a fibre piece about personal mapping of places I connect with. Being from Banff, I took inspiration from living next to the source of the Bow River. With embroidery, I mapped not only geographical points of interest, like where it began and ended, but also specific spots that I made memories at. I am an avid outdoor person and love kayaking. During the pandemic, I spent a lot of time along the Bow River next to my house. With “The Source” I tracked my own desire paths, memory paths that I took. Working on the piece during the pandemic was a way for me to have continuity, and since it’s 20 feet of fabric, I actually used it as a comfort blanket too!
See “The Source” in detail at the Marion Nicoll Gallery website.
Elise Findlay ,The Source, Embroidery thread on fabric, Fall 2022. Photo credit: Courtesy of the Marion Nicoll Gallery.
Q: “You mentioned that as a landscape artist, it's important to have personal connection to the land. How do you navigate a genre that is both so universal yet so specific to personal experience?”
A: The landscape genre in Canada is surprisingly complex. It’s not just about painting a pretty place. Landscape art has a major role in indigenous and settler history, and we all have to reflect on its role historically in colonization. Landscapes aren’t just about places, they’re about homes and the communities that live there too. When I create my art, I stay genuine by depicting landscapes that I have personal connections to. Having lived in Banff for years, I feel like the landscape here is an integral part of my identity. It might sound weird, but it feels like the mountains are my friends. I get a sense of belonging from seeing the sunlight hit the landscape at different times of the year, how the snow settle in ridges, where animals and humans tread. During the lockdowns, so many of us turned to the landscape for connection and I’m no exception. It made many people realize the importance of place in their lives and gave them a new appreciation of home. I try to honour the places I love by making art and respecting nature when I’m in it.
Me and my recent installation "Under The Mountain's Shadow" in Banff. Photo credit: Elise Findlay.
Q: “What's the next step in your artistic journey?”
A: Once I graduate, I want to pursue an MFA at the University of Calgary, so I can keep making art close to home. I definitely want to continue the bodies of work I’m making in my undergrad about connection to place. I’m also considering getting another masters that would complement my previous undergrad degree in sociology and comparative religion. The end goal is to establish a community-based art studio in Banff so I can give back to the community. I want to create a space that gives access to art education, supplies, and equipment to make art-making more accessible and maybe have a gallery space for artists to sell their work. Graduation is just the beginning!
The view I see from my studio at home. Bonus: My dog Kuma keeps me company! Photo credit: Elise Findlay.
Elise Findlay is a visual artist based in Banff, Alberta. Having grown up in the mountains she has developed a deep love of her home landscape and community, which is a central theme and inspiration in her art. Through her landscapes Elise explores the complexities of a place and how humans interact, navigate, and experience the natural world. It is this interaction, along with memory, that Elise uses to build and layer her landscapes employing a variety of media. Elise is currently in her final year of study at Alberta University of the Arts, in Calgary, majoring in Drawing with a minor in Object Design. Along with her studies Elise sits on the Public Art Committee for the Town of Banff. She is a lifelong learner, as well as her certificate as a Red Seal Cabinetmaker, her work as a draftsman and CNC programmer/operator, she has an undergrad degree from Dalhousie University in Sociology and Comparative Religion. After Elise has finished her undergrad at AUArts she plans to continue onto a masters as well as establish a studio in Banff to continue, through her artwork, to explore this dramatic and inspiring Canadian landscape and the human impact and interactions with it.
Website/Portfolio: https://www.elisefindlay.ca/
Instagram: @banffstudios
Leave a comment