Landon Mackenzie is a senior Canadian artist who has exhibited nationally as well as in Europe, Asia and the United States. She is widely admired for her large-format paintings that are layered over time, referencing her research and personal experiences with geography, history and geometry. Her intuitive use of colour, mark-making and process are defining characteristics of her practice.
Works on paper are an integral part of Mackenzie’s oeuvre. A more transportable medium, paper allows her to paint in different parts of the world and new contexts are the inspiration behind much of her work. Though based in Vancouver, Canada, she has completed several residencies, both self-initiated and appointed, including in China, Germany, Spain and France. Mackenzie also designed a studio on Prince Edward Island where she paints each summer. Over the last few years, she has travelled to Mexico annually, creating works on paper that mirror the colours and textures of places like Sayulita and Oaxaca.
Landon Mackenzie was born in 1954 and grew up in Toronto. She received her BFA from NSCAD in Halifax and her MFA from Concordia University in Montreal. Mackenzie moved to Vancouver in 1986 for a position at Emily Carr University of Art and Design, and remains a Professor Emerita since leaving teaching. Her work is included in museum collections across the country including the National Gallery of Canada; the Art Gallery of Ontario; the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia; the Musee d’art contemporain de Montreal; Confederation Centre for the Arts; the Vancouver Art Gallery and the Audain Art Museum of Whistler. Recent museum exhibitions include Landon Mackenzie: Parallel Journey (Kelowna Art Gallery, touring 2015-2017); Emily Carr and Landon Mackenzie: Wood Chopper and the Monkey at the Vancouver Art Gallery (2015); Landon Mackenzie: Nervous Centre at the Esker Foundation (2012) and Landon Mackenzie: Recollects at the West Vancouver Art Museum (2019). Mackenzie has received many awards and was a recipient of the 2017 Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts.