Joel Mara

Joel Mara spent most of his childhood years in Campbell River on Vancouver Island. He learned a special appreciation for nature while exploring the pebbled beaches and tidal pools with his siblings. Joel liked to be still in nature, just to watch nature happen, and that fascination has carried through to his adult years. Joel's main inspiration is the beauty of the West Coast. So it seemed a natural progression to express these feelings on canvas. He wants other people to see and experience the West Coast through his paintings to create a sense of "being there." After attending the Capilano College Illustration & Design program, he began painting more and more landscapes and found it to be a satisfying experience. Some of the first places he chose for painting were Crescent Beach and White Rock. Later he began painting places in North Vancouver such as Lighthouse Park and Whitecliff Park. The shapes Joel paints merely suggest a picture. It is up to the viewer to put it all together and form the image. Striving to make his paintings a participatory experience, every viewer will see something different. Joel hopes that you will feel a little bit of that gusty wind or the silence of the forest when you view one of his paintings.