About the Artist: Lisa Finch

March 2025 Issue
About the Cover Artist — Lisa Finch
by Lindsay Gifford

It’s not every day you can befriend a giraffe, enjoy a bubble bath with five dogs, or birdwatch with feathered friends. This month’s cover artist, Canadian Lisa Finch, loves to create scenes like these. Inspired by fond memories of childhood summers at a family cottage, along with her passion for animals, old films, and favorite books, her oeuvre is a happy mélange of vintage couture, charming animal portraits, beach scenes, and cozy interiors. Today Lisa paints in a small studio in her home, which she shares with her husband and two dogs, nestled close to Lake Ontario near a large conservation area, where she spends many afternoons feeding the birds and talking to the deer.

Lisa comes from an artistic family. As a young girl, she was lucky enough to be exposed to art through her grandfather, an established landscape painter, spending a lot of time with him learning to draw and watching him paint. From those early beginnings to today, Lisa has been on a real journey of discovery, often putting her creativity and artistic talent to use as a mom, painting sets and designing costumes for school plays.

Where does the whimsey come from? “The notion of taking life too seriously really strikes a chord. I’ve done a lot of reading about the endorphins that smiling and laughing produce, and when I look at a piece of art or listen to music, I gravitate to those that make me feel good. I want to convey that in my own art. I take all of the things I love, that make me feel good or chuckle and try to incorporate them in such a way so they are not too bizarre, and viewers can see themselves wishing the scene could really happen. Wouldn’t it be fun to go on a picnic with a monkey, a giraffe, and a lion?”

Our cover art this month, “The Birdwatcher,” is inspired by some of her dearest friends—birds… “such smart, sweet, and amusing characters. I have taken to birdwatching and often in the afternoons will walk through the nearby conservation area to feed the chickadees and blue jays. I can be there for hours. Naturally, a bird-inspired painting began fluttering around in my head. [For this painting] I found myself sifting through photos and old birding books looking for images that would help capture their unique personalities and plumage in a setting that would visually narrate my idea of birdwatching,” exclaimed Lisa. Animals are Lisa’s favorite subjects to paint. She often rescues stray dogs, mice, and baby birds, and they return the favor by inspiring her work.

In addition, many of Lisa’s paintings depict fashionable women in vintage dresses and jewelry, but she said, “I have poor fashion sense and would much prefer a pair of comfortable jeans and a t-shirt. All of my clothes have paint on them.”

Lisa finds ways to express many aspects of her personality through her art. “I am not a writer or a world traveler, but I think of my work as opening a door that allows me to convey a ‘moment’ in a story, while at the same time be whisked away to a place that I dream of. If it makes me smile in the process, all the better!”

Today, Lisa has a number of new pieces on her easel. She is very slowly putting together work for an adventure and travel journal which will be narrated with her artwork, something she has been dreaming about for quite a while.

Lisa’s fun impressionistic work can be seen and purchased at www.frenchcanvasstudio.com or on Etsy @frenchcanvasstudio. Follow her on Instagram @frenchcanvas and Facebook @frenchcanvasstudio.