“I want you to see what I see… I see epic skies, majestic waterfalls and vibrant forests. I see quiet islands, changing tides and the vast ocean full of life… But I also I see washed up plastic bags and styrofoam bobbing alongside the birds. I see cigarette butts following me on my hikes and bottle caps making their way down the storm drains… I want you to see this spectacular beauty, and its reality.” -Emilyn Golden

Emilyn is a born and raised Vancouver, BC visual artist. After years in a corporate event planning career, she turned her energy and creativity to painting while living in Seattle, WA. In 2016, Emilyn returned to the mountains of Vancouver’s North Shore to continue and grow her art career.

Having grown up in the small coastal community of Sunset Marina, she has developed a strong connection and respect for the ocean and the land. Her art is inspired by the natural beauty of the majestic coastal landscape of British Columbia. “I paint up in the skies, along the Howe Sound coast and into the Pacific Rainforest, but the heart of my work is underwater. I love the serenity of the underwater world and I look to explore the emotion and stories that we do not always see. I want to transport my viewer to that moment and have them feel that they are a part of that environment.”

In 2019, Emilyn realized that for her to create that true environment to her scenic paintings, something significant was missing: trash.

Becoming more involved in ocean conservation, her eyes have been opened to the wave of human consumption that now litters our lands and ocean. “I want to capture the beauty of this land and ocean, but I do not want to portray a fantasy. My art needs a taste of reality.”

Along with her acrylic paints, Emilyn uses the ocean plastic she collects to create her vision. Her work always features a glowing light source and place of movement. With a mix of wide loose brush strokes, thick palette knife smears, watery splatters, thin detail brush accuracy, and now painted ocean plastic placed for dynamic texture, her vision comes to life.

EXHIBITIONS
2019 AUGUST 2-11, Harmony Arts Festival, Temper Pastry in West Vancouver

DONATIONS AND VOLUNTEER WORK
2019 SeaSmart, Public Event Volunteer
2017 Pacific Salmon Foundation, Art Donation

EDUCATION
2019 Mike Svobs, Online Course
2015 Pratt Fine Art School, Seattle WA, Continuing Studies
2009 Emily Carr University, Vancouver BC, Continuing Studies