Lindsay Wells




Lindsay Wells is an Alberta child. She graduated from ACAD with honours, has had a host of shows under her belt in Calgary, and is currently living on the soggy, coast of BC. I got Lindsay on the phone as she sat in her living-room, in her underwear, sewing.

 As the late afternoon light faded...over the hummm of the sewing machine...I was able to ask her a few questions... 

KL : So you are currently living in Tofino?

LW: Yeah, I’m currently living in Tofino. We’ll see how long that lasts.

KL: Ha ha, cool - do you think you’re here seasonally, or you’re here for a chunk of time?


LW:  A chunk of time depending on how long I can keep my studio space and housing. 

Kl: Mmhmm yeah housings an issue out there! what kind of studio space do you have set up right now? 



LW: I had a spot in a garage, which was perfect and then the house sold so I had to move out of it… and then I was working on my deck. It didn’t rain much this week so that’s been nice. I’m hoping I can move back to the garage someday. 

KL: Yeah yah! It’s too bad there not more space for the mole people all working in basements there.

So, do you find it’s easy to meet other artists and to see their work there? It seems like everything is pretty elusive there-and it could be hard to find that community of people that are making interesting work or any work at all. Do you find it’s easy to track people down or run into people? 

LW: Uhmmm you kind of have to look for it, but it’s a small town so with some effort you can find stuff going on. The music scene has been really great locally and there’ve been lots of great bands from out of town coming through so I feel like the next step would be the visual arts enlightenment haha!

KL: Haha visual enlightenment! Yeah, the music scene is a really cool thing evolving there right now! (s/o to Roy's Bag for their work this past year to bring us all those shows, and fresh faces, and sounds.)

LW: And so, I feel like it’s only a matter of time and with the right space that there could be some cool art things happening too. 

KL: Yeah, it’s hard when there’s so many good things going on there like surfing--it kind of kills time but in the best way..and there’s so many young people with energy and ……I sound like I'm 90!


LW: Hahah we both do

KL: I hear you sewing right now, what else are you working on- art wise?

LW: I’m going away for the holidays...so I just wrapped up a couple paintings, and I am working on a video series right now, so when I’m away I can take my computer and work on that.  And then, when I get home I’m going to set up the studio, hopefully, so I can do some more painting!



KL: That sounds great! look forward to seeing those. 

KL: So, through knowing your work a little bit, I was joking about you being sort-of a renaissance woman – I mean you are sewing, you’re making video work, you’re making sculptures, you’re writing, you’re painting.
Do you feel like these come from the same space, or inspiration, or is it you sort-of have a different narrator or character for each discipline? Do you feel like they overlap a bit? 

LW: Mmmm I do I think they overlap- it’s a mixture. They all have their own things that they are trying to communicate. I think that the end results of each medium has the same tone and presence but the language being used is inherently different from when I’m working say in a video as compared to a painting. When I’m looking at my own art I’m a lot more critical than when somebody else is looking at it.



I don’t like to be bogged down by one medium, having limitations of any sort limits me in my ideas so much. 

KL:   It seems like in your work there’s an element of the mundane, but it’s really just celebrating that

moment….
it’s like giving the mundane its 15 minuets but especially in your video work with the music-there is this calmness, and rhythm to it. It’s really celebrating those mellow odd moments.

So, that was just a monologue not a question…so uhhh what do you think about that? 

LW: Hahaha. No that is basically it… if I could just write down what you just said-that is everything I make. I enjoy looking at all the small stuff that is happening around me and making it bigger. 

KL: Yeah, it's super nice - I really like that with your video work.

KL:  So If your work was a music genre where do you think it would fit? 

LW: Uhmm OK- so I would love to be a mixture of tradition Japanese Zen garden with…with….uhm Tom Waits.

KL: Oh, I could see that! That would be awesome

Who do you think would open for you?

LW: Oh gosh, I would probably get…. I think maybe it would be great to have either a punk band to get everyone riled up, and then that hard clash for when I get up Zen time, and they would be like ‘What’s going on? We want the punk band back!” lol

Or say like Enya, because that’s kinda funny...

But everyone would be asleep by the end of the night so….Yeah, maybe not her.

KL: Hahaha I'm THERE!

KL: So, I also wanted to ask you not who you’re inspired by right now, or what work you’re looking at right now-  but who’s work are you really jealous of right now? Like you wish ‘Damn I wish I made that!’

LW: Oh, that’s a good question.
Uhmm, who have I been looking at recently? There’s this one guy I’ve been looking at on Instagram because that’s my only mode of looking at art right now. This guy just paints a bunch of naked people having sex all the time.

K gimme one sec… I’ll find his name….but I am jealous of him because they are so simple and that is so great! 

ok his names is AJ Kats. 



KL: Oh nice, I’ll have to look him up !



LW: And basically everyone else in the art world who’s doing something I’m like-cool you’re making a living at this eh? 

KL: Yeah! Almost there....!

KL: Another thing I'm curious about in your work is your use of symbols- can you tell me a little bit about these cats and figures in your work?

LW: I love symbols in everything. I don’t know why I keep having this cat figure. I do love cats but I don’t want to be that cat girl. Anyways, it’s just meant to embody mischief and a creepy ambiguous portal. 

KL: Yeah those are some mischievous kitties- they really fit that trickster role

KL: Can you describe your process in painting a little bit?

LW: My process is up for refinement. I really would love to be that person that goes into something with a plan and sticks to it. But it seems as though my process is to spend a lot of time with the canvas and then to paint on it and keep painting and like it then hate it then all of a sudden I black out and hopefully I’ve done something great! I’m going to keep trying to plan….

KL: Hahah no! I'm a firm believer in that struggle from ditching the plan halfway through! 

KL: It was great to hear from you before the holiday here...maybe we will touch base with you and your newwork in the new year?! And good luck with the dress! 

LW: Yeah thank you! I think I’ve ruined the dress. Can’t wait to see you when I see you!

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Check out more of Lindsays work at Lindsaylindsaylindsay & follow her on instagram @ratchetwells