Visual Art – Vancouver
Marlee can still remember the sharp smell of oil paints and turpentine filling the room of the tiny heritage apartment where her grandparents lived at 10th and Manitoba. She called him Papa and he was a master painter who she watched replicate a Mona Lisa that would astound. It was in the genes.
She was compelled to paint and draw, however, the force of music and performing in her family was stronger and her brother and sister, Judy & Jim took her under their wing in their live shows and a CBC TV series from age 14.
Marlee’s post graduate education was in Los Angeles at the Lee Strasberg Theatre institute for acting and upon returning home to Vancouver, her career quickly escalated to commercials, television guest appearances, recording, writing, professional live theatre, touring and many music and song writing awards with her dance/pop duo, Sugarbeach.
In 2001, Marlee moved to Sydney, Australia for 6 years but still only dabbled in painting for friends.
She returned with Nathalie Callender, the woman she credits with many things, including her return to art by placing a large canvas in their living room until Marlee finally put some paint on it.
She’s been painting like crazy since February 2015 and has already had shows at the Performing Arts Lodge, the North Vancouver Twilight Markets, Off the Rail Brewing Company, The Anonymous Art Show, The RAW Natural Born Artists Show and now the Lab Art Show.
Marlee loves colour, lots of it. Bold, bright, emotion evoking, colour.
Her subjects range from rich landscapes to playful characters, music and city themes. She mostly uses palette knives - they make her feel freer and that is what her life is all about now.
www.marleewalchuk.com
www.sugarbeachmusic.com