Marlene Pape is a Toronto-based artist who has been painting professionally for 4 years. Before taking up painting full-time, she was an elementary school teacher, an accessory designer, a model and an interior decorator.
Marlene paints in acrylic on canvas, primarily landscapes. Trees have been a recurring theme in her work due to what she calls, "the inherent beauty of their imperfect perfection". She finds inspiration from her travels abroad, including England, the Caribbean and Mexico. The beautiful Beaches neighbourhood of Toronto, where she lives and the rugged scenery of Haliburton provide much inspiration as well.
Marlene had a B.A. in Sociology from York University, a Bachelor of Education from the University of Western Ontario and is a certified interior decorator (George Brown College).
Her first solo exhibit at the Cobalt Gallery in Toronto in March 2007 entitle Tree-scapes, was a huge success, with 25 paintings sold. Currently, Marlene's work can be found in over 100 private, public and corporate collections in the U.S., Canada, Switzerland and England. Ten of her paintings were selected to be part of the decor of the "Get Wired" Feature Home (designed by Canadian interior decorator, Erik Lauzon), for the Toronto National Home Show in April of 2008.
Marlene is a member of the Beach Guild of Fine Art and the Toronto Cafe Society of Artists.
She is married and the mother of two children. When not preparing for her annual solo exhibits or painting commissioned works from her home studio, she teaches art at her children's school and provides interior decorating consultations. She can also be commissioned to paint portraits and murals. Her hobbies include photography and playing piano.