Painting is my tool of expression. I hope to use it to allow those who view my work an opportunity to hear a colourful voice and to see beyond the paint.
Mary-Leigh Doyle is an artist and instructor who once considered herself an artistic jack-of-all-trades dabbling in any artistic medium she could get her hands on.
After raising her children, she focused her attention on developing more refined skills in only a select few areas and media. Watercolour rapidly became her primary medium but the first time she painted in oil she was smitten.
Today she represents the everyday people and subjects she encounters in such a way as to convey the beauty she sees even in the simplest things. Portraits are her passion, and she finds no shortage of fascinating people to paint whether close to home or abroad.
Mary-Leigh attended school in Ontario where she was fortunate enough to enroll in and graduate from a fine arts high school and then continued to study at the Ontario College of Art and Design.
Her pursuit of all things artistic over the years led to studies just about anywhere she could find a program of interest. These included drawing, fashion design, sculpture, printmaking and ultimately painting.
As a recovering jack-of-all-trades she has found a comfortable yet exciting home as a mixed media artist.
“I am on a lifelong mission to discover and then relate to others, the beauty of everyday life as I encounter it. Whether it be the rusty hinges on an old gate, the glowing transparency of blue bottles in a window or one of my own children casting me a sideways glance, the abundance of subject matter surrounding me is boggling. It is only more exhilarating when I feel that I have conveyed to an onlooker the same pure pleasure I derive from these subjects.”
“Painting is a tool of expression. I hope to use it to allow those who view my work an opportunity to hear a colourful voice and to see beyond the paint.”
Mary-Leigh Doyle is an experienced instructor teaching and working in a large variety of media. She has studied at O.C.A.D., S.A.I.T., U of C, Mount Royal, private art studios and has had the pleasure of working with many accomplished local artists.
Mary-Leigh worked as a high school art instructor for 10 years but has specialized in adult studio instruction for the past 15 years. She emphasizes good technique and creativity equally. Her students are encouraged to develop their own personal style and to grow within that style retaining their own unique personality and individuality in their work.
