Mary Arnold is a Canadian artist whose extensive career in photography spans over four decades. Known for her innovative approach, she effortlessly merges analogue and digital techniques to craft visually captivating stories. Her panoramic photos, carefully stitched together digitally, highlight her expertise and precision. What truly sets her apart is her choice of medium—printing her photos on aluminium, which brings a contemporary edge to her depictions of timeless landscapes. Mary’s work has been exhibited in various galleries across Canada, including the Art Gallery of Vancouver in 1985, the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria in the 1990s, and the Art Gallery of Hamilton in 2004.
In 2017, Arnold produced three remarkable aluminium-printed photographs during a summer spent on Vancouver Island. These works are perfect examples of her unique approach to photography, where technical skill meets artistic vision to create immersive landscapes.
One of her standout pieces, Time Overlap, was taken from an old helicopter on the West Coast of Vancouver Island. The helicopter, which had once seen action during the Vietnam War, offered agility that allowed for an extraordinary experience—plunging over a cliff and soaring back just in time to avoid the jagged rocks and crashing waves below. During this intense moment, Mary captured a series of images, which she later blended to form a single panoramic photograph. The result is a powerful depiction of the coastline, combining the raw energy of the ocean with the harshness of the cliffs. The image freezes that fleeting, adrenaline-filled moment, offering a dynamic view that reflects both the thrill of the experience and the beauty of the landscape. It remains one of her favorites, perhaps because it so vividly encapsulates the physical and emotional intensity of the scene.
In contrast to the raw drama of Time Overlap, Arnold’s second piece, Mystic Forest, delves into the quieter, more introspective side of nature. This image, taken in the dense woods of Vancouver Island, captures a scene that feels both real and slightly unreal. The forest, with its familiar trees, appears almost dreamlike, as if its patterns and shapes have shifted out of context. Through her photo montage, Mary creates a space where the viewer feels both grounded and lost—an otherworldly forest that invites curiosity. The image blurs the boundary between reality and imagination, offering a peaceful yet strange vision of nature. It evokes the sensation of walking through a familiar place, only to notice something slightly off, leading to a sense of wonder and exploration.
The third photograph in the series, The Secret Chapel, was taken in a hidden forest glen on Gabriola Island, one of the Gulf Islands off Vancouver Island’s coast. As Mary entered the clearing, she was struck by its resemblance to a secret chapel, a serene and quiet space seemingly hidden from the rest of the world. The forest appeared to be guarding this peaceful spot, and Mary’s camera captured that feeling of revelation. She took seven overlapping photos with her Canon camera and then merged them into a continuous panoramic image. The resulting photograph, printed on aluminium, transports the viewer into the clearing itself, allowing them to experience its tranquillity. The Secret Chapelfeels intimate and sacred, as if the viewer is being allowed a glimpse into a private space carefully tucked away in the heart of the forest.
A key element of Mary Arnold’s work is her ability to merge modern techniques with nature’s timeless beauty. Printing her images on aluminium enhances their brightness and texture, giving them a sense of depth and longevity. The metallic finish adds a contemporary sheen to landscapes, making them feel both tangible and slightly surreal. This method of presentation not only draws attention to the fine details—like the roughness of cliffs or the delicate patterns of forest leaves—but also adds an almost ethereal quality to her work.
Through these three photographs from 2017, Mary Arnold captures the diverse spirit of Vancouver Island’s landscapes. From the wild and rugged cliffs to the dreamlike forests and hidden clearings, her work invites viewers into these spaces in a way that feels both intimate and expansive. Her skill in blending analogue and digital photography, combined with her unique choice of aluminium as a printing medium, gives her work a distinct edge, setting it apart in both technical brilliance and emotional depth. Each piece offers a different perspective, yet all share a common thread—an invitation to see the natural world through a lens that reveals its hidden beauty and complexity.
