Rooms of Their Own

 ‘Rooms Of Their Own' is a project to celebrate the breadth of literary talent in Canada, by highlighting a selection of authors, playwrights and poets in a series of paintings with a unique perspective. This collection of oil paintings features the physical spaces in which some of Canada’s greatest writers have produced their most significant works. 

Over the past year and a half, I have connected with over 30 Canadian authors, poets and playwrights to create a collection of paintings that strives to capture a glimpse into the world of the writer. Each participating author has sent me images of their chosen space which I have used as a reference to create an interior portrait with paint. Each space is ultimately my interpretation, but with the intention to retain those elements of authenticity that ring out for their respective authors.

Writing is intimate and challenging work; and physical space is integral to the writing process –  walls bare or covered with pictures; books and piles of papers;  trinkets and cups collected on a desk or shelf; the view from a window – all inevitably play a role. The rooms, to which writers return again and again, store memories, generate feelings, spawn ideas, harbour the unspoken, preserve a moment. In painting these rooms, The space in which a writer chooses to work offers a glimpse into the person behind the words. This is why the rooms commemorated in this collection are fascinating as sanctums of creativity.

In A Room of One's Own, Virginia Woolf argues that creative freedom and literary success are intimately tied, among other things, to having a physical space devoted to the craft of writing. These spaces look different for each author, but the constant is that each room, desk, or chair has been chosen by them as the place in which they will create. This multidisciplinary project weaves art and literature together through paintings of the physical spaces where the literary imagination does its work. In my paintings, I have tried to capture the deeply personal elements of those physical spaces that represent the deeper part of ourselves when we create.

Ultimately, I see in these paintings a form of portraiture that pays homage to both the genius of the writer and the physical spaces in which the writing takes place; spaces that become sacred as they are returned to again, and again.

At a cultural level, we understand the power of storytelling –its role in articulating our identities and its ability to facilitate connection and generate conversation. This is especially relevant and deeply important today. The paintings in this collection spark a conversation about storytelling between art and literature about the nature of storytelling, who tells them and how they are formed. A painting of an empty room can draw you in; it offers a moment of stillness and solitude for you to look, to notice more than you might if someone were there with you. When we are curious, I think we are more open to engagement. I want this collection of paintings to pique curiosity and spark connection through an unexpected encounter with art and literature. I want the viewer to engage with our Canadian authors — to be inspired to know who they are, what they have written, how their words have helped to shape the ideas we turn to for guidance, for solace, for courage.

The paintings form a collection that tells a story of Canadian literary genius that spans decades, and it showcases physical spaces that ask us to pause and consider what might have inspired them and where their ideas take flight. It has been a labour of love to bring my vision to life. Most importantly, it has been an honour to be entrusted by each author with the opportunity to capture and commemorate their creative spaces – the rooms in which they write.