Living Within the Interior Spaces of Mary Finlayson’s Paintings

When looking at Mary Finlayson’s paintings of interior spaces—specifically the series consisting of flowers and plants inside of a singular, large vase placed upon a table in the center of the piece—it feels as though I’m entering a completely new space through each painting, though each bearing fundamental similarities to the previous. Perhaps one of these potted plant paintings takes place upon somebody’s kitchen counter, another in somebody else’s bedroom, someone’s office, or even upon the counter in someone’s bathroom—you can’t help but imagine the various background stories for each of these interiors. Maybe all of these paintings actually take place within different rooms inside the same house.

With the Along Comes Mary exhibition at The JoAnne Artman Gallery in Chelsea, NY, I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing and observing these paintings in person through my internship here. I’ve noted how, through Mary’s distinctive and unique artistic style, we can see the similarities between each of these interior spaces, and while there are multiple major differences between the paintings—color, patterns, types of flowers & plants in the vases, or shape & size of the vases—I find myself especially intrigued by the minor differences. One minor difference I find particularly interesting is the difference between the amount of space occupied by the background and by the table/counter upon which the vases of flowers are resting. I think this is a compelling artistic choice, as it not only allows for more variety but also allows the artist, Finlayson, to express one particular pattern throughout a more significant portion of the painting.

Another aspect of Mary Finlayson’s work that I enjoy is her eye for detail. In her painting “Bookshelf with Red Chair,” I noticed that there’s a book on the bottom shelf in the lower right-hand corner titled “Graphic Design: visual comparisons.” I found Finlayson’s choice to include this in the painting extremely interesting, and also ironic—in the best way. When looking at Finlayson’s work, her painting technique along with her incorporation of printmaking into her pieces almost makes the paintings look as if they were done digitally, which is why I was very intrigued when I saw her inclusion of a book on graphic design. Along with that, the book is titled “Graphic Design: visual comparisons,” and, as I’ve discussed above, there are many fascinating visual comparisons that can be made between Finlayson’s pieces. As a writer, one of my favorite things is when writers talk about their way of writing within a piece of their own writing. This same thing goes for artists who can talk about their art within their own art, something Finlayson cleverly did here.

With Finlayson’s exciting use of patterns and bright and vivid colors, I find her painting “Morning Shadows” very interesting, as the two pots of flowers central to the painting are completely shaded black. With the title being “Morning Shadows,” perhaps the viewer could be guided to picture and imagine the details of the flowers and the vases which aren’t visible, as they are creating the shadows we see in the painting. It creates a bit of mystery while simultaneously being interactive, allowing the viewer to step further into the behind-the-scenes of this interior space and create the rest of what could be in the painting through their own imagination.