paintwithlove.com
painting by shayla garland
about me

I am very inspired by cerebral concepts that manifest in a visual way. I love when art makes me delve deeper into my consciousness and consider ideas that I hadn’t previously considered. “Intellectual intercourse” is one of my favourite pastimes. When I can make people think about new ideas by combining visual elements in a new way, I have achieved my goal.
On the other hand, sometimes things are just pretty. Or touching. Or have personal relevance for me. And I feel compelled to portray them through my eyes and my paintbrush. Sometimes it is just that simple.
In other words, I take inspiration from wherever I can, be it the visual masterpieces in this world, the breadth of human emotion, or the bustling thoughts in my mind.
My favourite works tend to combine realistic figures in unrealistic contexts. From a young age, I realized that I wasn't half bad at mimicking reality with a paintbrush, so I suppose that quality in my works remained, while my artistic interests forayed from the purely realistic to the more obscure realms.
Acrylic paints are my preferred medium as I am messy enough with acrylic- if I used oil frequently, it would be complete chaos. I have experimented with many other mediums- pastels, pen and ink, welding, clay, woodworking, etc.- and while they surely have their merits, and I love working with them, I enjoy the simplicity of acrylic paints.
I am a Naturopathic Doctor practicing at clinics in both Toronto and Uxbridge, you can find much more information on my website. I travelled extensively for almost two years, during which time my form of expression turned more to photography and writing. Art is a very important part of my life and I plan to continue expressing myself in this way as long as the world will allow it.