Welcome!
Marcela Strasdas is an Argentinian-Canadian painter who loves painting landscapes, still-lifes, and florals mostly in acrylics and oils. She is greatly inspired by her love of travelling and gardening which she translates into colourful, vibrant paintings depicting the beauty found in everyday life.
Nearly 20 years ago, during one of the busiest times of her life, Marcela found herself enamoured with the world of art. She joined a local art club where she was exposed to a variety of artistic media and styles of work. During those first years, the time that Marcela devoted to her painting became sacred, a time that she could dedicate to herself in the misdt of a life with a young family.
Marcela has learned to go beyond words, combining the passion and excitement she feels in looking at the world around her, and transforming it through colour and shape into a much more eloquent form. In her work, Marcela gets to instill her experiences: the smells, sounds, shapes, colours, darks, and lights of a moment, invoking memories and freezing them in time. She is constantly inspired by the simple wonders in nature around her, preferring to always focus on the good, the positive, and the beautiful in the world.
With a strong belief that there is no end to learning and growing as an artist, Marcela continues to study and learn as much as possible in her day-to-day life. She has taken numerous workshops and classes that have shaped her into the artist she is today.
"I am a painter with a passion for gardens, travelling, and the ocean, which I translate into colourful paintings that reflect all the beauty around us. I paint because I choose to focus my energy and attention on the positive and beautiful in the world.
The process gives me immense pleasure and joy; it allows me to return to places I have been, remember moments I have lived, and imagine my next adventure. My art can take me back to a moment and immediately put a smile on my face as the memories play out.
Plein-air painting allows me to freeze those moments in time and see things I can’t catch at first glance. Everything transforms after I have been looking at the same scene for more than ten minutes: colours intensify and change, light shifts, my eyes start to find shapes within shapes. Magic starts to happen. It’s the best way for me to slow down, pause, and enjoy the moment.
My art is an invitation to do the same: I want to invite the viewer to stop, take a deep breath, and allow the painting to take them back to a time they may have forgotten, or to express an emotion they may not have felt for a long time.
There is great inspiration in our everyday life. There are scenes to be painted and enjoyed everywhere I look. The secret is just to make time and get it done."