Mary Finlayson

Mary Finlayson based in San Francisco, painter whose paintings reference themes of home, memory, and self. Her interiors pay homage to the works of Corita Kent, Henri Matisse, and Stuart Davis by borrowing similarly colored palettes, repetitive patterns, and simplified forms. Through this visual language, she creates complex, tightly constructed compositions unique to her own style. Her works evoke the memory of place—often a departure from what is real. The vivid use of color and line enliven responses to these otherwise ordinary, mundane settings.

Through flattened interiors, she invites us to consider what home means, both in the past and in idealized form. Considering the personal attachments and symbolism inherent in these spaces, her paintings skew and distort to capture a feeling rather than an accurate depiction. Finlayson focuses primarily on the use of gouache on canvas; however, her work in textiles and mosaics continues to expand her practice.