Lindsay Arnold

Artist Statement

My work explores society’s struggles with identity, fear and perceived expectations of self. My allegorical drawings and book works offer dark, yet humorous, fables about our erred ways of coping with stress, while presenting the concept of dysfunction as a family or cultural tradition.

We place a lot of importance on reinforcing boundaries. We divide our environment into countries, lots, cubicles, and rooms. We build fences and defenses within ourselves in order to protect or even destroy our sanity and emotional well-being. By establishing boundaries within as well as without, gaps are created, leading to detachment, isolation, anxiety and a sense of displacement. My work focuses on how society is shaped by borders of a physical, emotional and mental nature, and how we form our identity by these boundaries.

It is my goal to overcome the boundaries between the viewer and the artist by working on a small scale. The viewer is forced to take a step closer and enter into a more familiar physical space with each piece. It is my hope a more intimate environment will allow the viewer to turn their thoughts inward in order gain a deeper understanding of the stories presented in the work.

Biography

I was born in Rugby, North Dakota, and moved to Canada with my mother when I was nine months old. I graduated from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology’s Broadcast Journalism program with honours in 1996. My informal art training includes numerous artist retreats, private lessons and mentorships, which I credit as having the biggest impact on my creative process. I have exhibited throughout Saskatchewan in group and solo shows. I currently live in my hometown, North Portal, Saskatchewan with my husband and daughter. My studio is located in my former elementary school.