Initially trained as a graphic designer, now a skilled landscape pastel and oil painter, Marion Webber approaches her fine art with communicative exploration and healing.

Her landscape paintings are a combination of abstract ideas and her interpretation of the natural world. "My love for nature is what I have to give to the world. I paint in order to show my love—I want to connect to my viewer."

Webber believes, "Landscapes are a natural place for humans to be. It relieves stress—it’s a place for healing. Today, modern man neglects this—the real world is not the city. The city is the artificial world, where as nature and landscapes are our real home."

In daily life, she has personally experienced drains from city life: "When I’m being drained by the noise pollution of the city, I seek out nature. It has always been very nurturing."

Painting in her natural escapes, Webber often spontaneously stumbles upon little fragments of wildlife with her designer eyes. "I see and interpret landscapes on a more abstract level. I really see the landscapes’ colours and shapes—it is something much more visceral."

While working en plein air—a French expression for painting "in the open air"—it forces her to really see what’s going on. "If you’re open, then you’ll find magic," says Webber.

She found her spark while painting The Queen’s Entrance. "It was a wild ride. It took me two days to paint it, but 20 years to think about it. I knew I was an artist at this point."

B.C. renowned painter Gordon Smith was so inspired by Webber’s painting that he created an entire series of green themed paintings—"I truly am the Queen of Green," she says.

While Webber isn’t exploring the unexploited areas around the Fraser Delta, or in Ladner, she is gathering expansive studies for her next series—which can take up to three years to put together.

"Currently, I am discovering a new style of painting with my hands that is much more contemporary and visceral—it’s like spreading butter across a canvas. The series is less representational then my traditional works—I’m creating the inner landscapes of landscapes. It draws from a wide range of styles and techniques. I borrow from the Renaissance period to the late 19th century. I start with the light from the canvas and build my way up to the darks—pulling out the pigment with my fingers or with rags. I try to pull out the light."

Sharing a recent collection of works with the public takes time and expertise. Webber finds the art business in Vancouver tough to break: "People want to know what you know, but they won’t pay you anything. Which is odd, because it is one of the most desirable cities to live in, in the world—too many people are coming in and exploiting it."

She believes, "There is a real need for attracting business to art. We need to explain arts true value and how it gives back to a community. Really great art keeps talking to you. Art prints and spin-offs dull a viewer’s personal connection to art. You continue to question great paintings—they keep talking to you, but they’re not going to give you all the answers."

See Webber’s landscape paintings for rent or sale.