Canadian artist Emily MacLennan wows her viewers with breathtaking detail and care in her thoughtful compositions. Her work comments on seemingly banal moments in urban architecture, bringing them into the spotlight of the canvas.
MacLennan's work depicts the storefronts of one-of-a-kind businesses in Little Portugal and Parkdale in Toronto, Ontario. These incredibly detailed paintings comment on the gentrification that unfortunately persists in urban cities. The protective preservation that MacLennan achieves through representing these dilapidated buildings and homes is astonishing, the moments she creates give us a raw and real vantage point of life in areas of the city that aren't always visibly seen or sought out. Her choice of colour and composition provide depth and texture to every area of her work, giving places for our eyes to rest and then be introduced to a new space.
MacLennan's paintings are incredibly photorealistic with a story that is begging to be seen. Her work renders us speechless, but she generously gives new energy through each attentive detail and allows a place to live forever through her painting practice.
