Interview
Andrew Milne
Andrew Milne is a Canadian contemporary landscape artist based in Ottawa, Ontario. Inspired by the Rideau Lakes and the Canadian landscape, his work explores atmosphere, memory, and a strong sense of place through bold colour, expressive linework, and a contemporary impressionistic style. Milne’s paintings are influenced by the changing light, water, rock, and wind swept pines of cottage country, with a focus on capturing the emotional feeling of a place rather than a literal representation. His work has been featured in exhibitions, studio tours, and charitable initiatives throughout the Ottawa and Rideau Lakes region. Through both studio and plein air painting, Milne continues to explore the connection between landscape, memory, and contemporary Canadian identity.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I’m based in Ottawa, Canada, and much of my work is inspired by the Rideau Lakes, the Canadian landscape, and places that carry memory and emotion for me. I’ve been fortunate to spend over 40 years around the Rideau Canal system and cottage country, and those experiences shaped the way I see colour, light, weather, and atmosphere. I’m less interested in painting a perfect representation of a place and more interested in capturing its feeling, its energy, and its sense of time and place. I really started taking my journey as an artist seriously when I realized people were emotionally connecting with the work. Collectors would tell me a painting reminded them of their childhood lake, a quiet morning at the cottage, or a moment they thought they had forgotten. That connection changed everything for me. My style has continued to evolve toward bold colour, strong composition, and a contemporary impressionistic approach. Artists like Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec have inspired me, but a lot of my process comes from simply spending time observing nature and learning how to translate emotion into paint. For me, painting is about more than documenting a landscape. It’s about capturing atmosphere, memory, and emotion. I want the viewer to feel like they’ve been there before, even if they haven’t. That emotional connection is what continues to drive my journey as an artist.”
What inspires you?
“I’m deeply inspired by places that hold memory and emotion. The Rideau Lakes, winding shorelines, wind swept pines, changing skies, reflections in the water, old docks, rock faces shaped by time, these are the things I keep coming back to. I’ve spent decades around the Rideau Canal system and cottage country, and those landscapes have become part of how I see the world. What inspires me most is not just the visual beauty of a place, but the feeling it leaves behind. I’m always chasing that moment when light, weather, colour, and memory all seem to come together at once. Sometimes it’s a dramatic sky before a storm, and sometimes it’s simply the stillness of early morning on the lake. I’m also inspired by the idea of creating a sense of place. I want my paintings to feel familiar and emotional, even to someone who has never stood in that exact spot. The goal is not realism for the sake of realism, but creating work that reconnects people to moments, memories, and experiences they care about. A lot of inspiration also comes from the process itself. Painting allows me to slow down and observe things more carefully. The more I paint, the more I notice colour, movement, and atmosphere in everyday life. That ongoing exploration continues to push the work forward.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“Much of my work explores themes of memory, connection, and our emotional relationship with place. I’m drawn to landscapes that feel lived in and familiar, places that carry history, atmosphere, and personal meaning. The Canadian landscape, especially the Rideau Lakes region, continues to be a major influence because it represents both solitude and connection for so many people. An underlying idea in my work is the importance of slowing down and noticing the world around us. In everyday life, people move quickly and often miss the subtle moments that make a place meaningful, the movement of water, changing light across rock, the shape of wind swept trees, or the quiet feeling of being alone in nature. I try to capture those moments before they disappear. I’m also interested in the idea of ‘sense of place.’ My paintings are not only about what a location looks like, but what it feels like to be there emotionally. I want viewers to bring their own memories and experiences into the work. Often people will look at a painting and say it reminds them of a lake they visited as a child, a family cottage, or a quiet moment they had forgotten about. I love that the work can become personal to each viewer in different ways. Visually, I continue to explore bold colour, simplified forms, movement, and atmosphere. I’m less interested in perfect realism and more interested in creating an emotional response through colour, composition, and energy.”
How would you describe your work?
“I would describe my work as contemporary impressionistic landscape painting focused on capturing atmosphere, emotion, and a strong sense of place. My paintings are inspired by the Canadian landscape, especially the Rideau Lakes region, where I’ve spent much of my life observing the changing skies, water, rock, and wind swept trees that continue to influence my work. I use bold colour, strong composition, and expressive brushwork to simplify and reinterpret the landscape rather than paint it exactly as it appears. I’m more interested in capturing the feeling of a place than creating a perfect representation of it. Often the work becomes a balance between memory, observation, and emotion. There is also a graphic quality to my paintings through the use of line, shape, and contrast. I like pushing colour and flattening forms to create energy and movement while still keeping the landscape recognizable and grounded in nature. At its core, my work is about connection. I want viewers to feel something familiar in the painting, whether it reminds them of a childhood memory, a quiet moment at a lake, or simply the feeling of being outdoors and present in nature.”
Which artists influence you most?
“I’m influenced by a mix of Canadian landscape painters, impressionists, and artists who bring strong emotion and personality into their work. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec has always inspired me because of his bold compositions, simplified forms, and confidence in capturing energy rather than perfection. I admire artists who interpret what they see rather than simply reproduce it. I’m also deeply inspired by Canadian artists who explored landscape as something emotional and spiritual rather than purely representational. The work of Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven had a huge impact on me early on. Their ability to capture the power, movement, and feeling of the Canadian wilderness still resonates with me today. Another artist who has always fascinated me is Christo. I’ve always loved the scale and ambition of his work and the way he transformed landscapes and familiar spaces into something completely new through wrapping, fabric, and temporary installations. There’s something powerful about how his work changes the way people see and experience a place, even if only for a short moment. That idea of transforming perception and creating an emotional response through place and environment really connects with me. More broadly, I’m inspired by artists who create atmosphere and a strong sense of place through colour, composition, and emotion. Beyond specific artists, nature itself is probably my greatest influence. Spending time around the Rideau Lakes, observing changing weather, reflections, rock formations, and wind swept pines continues to shape how I paint and how I see the world.”
What is your creative process like?
“My creative process usually begins outdoors, spending time in nature observing and sketching in place. I often work en plein air before returning to the studio because it allows me to connect directly with the atmosphere, light, colour, and energy of a location. There’s something very different about standing in the wind, watching changing skies and reflections in real time, compared to working only from a photograph. Those experiences become an important part of the final painting. I take reference photos and make quick sketches while I’m out around the Rideau Lakes, cottage country, and other parts of the Canadian landscape. Often it’s not just one scene that inspires a painting, but a combination of moments, memories, weather, and emotion that stay with me afterward. Back in the studio, I work more intuitively. I use my sketches, photos, and memory together rather than trying to copy a scene exactly. I’m more interested in capturing the feeling of a place than documenting every detail. Early in the process I focus heavily on composition, movement, and colour relationships. I tend to build paintings in layers, often starting with an underpainting to establish mood and energy. From there I gradually simplify shapes, push colours, and add stronger lines and contrast to create atmosphere and movement. A lot of the work evolves through experimentation. Sometimes a painting comes together quickly, while others change many times before they feel complete. Music, quiet, and rhythm also play an important role in the studio. Painting becomes immersive and instinctive after a certain point. That’s usually when the work begins to move beyond observation and starts carrying more emotion and energy. At the core of the process is always the same goal: creating a strong sense of place and an emotional connection that feels authentic and lasting.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“I think an artist’s role in society has always been to help people see, feel, and reflect more deeply. Art has the ability to slow people down, create emotional connection, and capture moments or ideas that are difficult to express through words alone. Whether it’s through painting, music, film, or sculpture, artists help document not only what the world looks like, but what it feels like to live in it. For me personally, art is also about creating connection through shared experiences and a sense of place. A landscape painting can remind someone of home, childhood, family, or a moment they had forgotten. In a world that moves increasingly fast and digitally, I think that emotional connection becomes even more important. I also believe artists play an important role in helping people notice the world around them again. Nature, light, atmosphere, and quiet moments are easy to overlook in everyday life. Art can bring attention back to those things and remind us of their value. As society evolves, I think the role of artists will continue to change alongside technology and culture. We’re entering a time where AI and digital tools can create endless images instantly, which makes human perspective and authenticity even more valuable. People will increasingly look for work that carries personal experience, emotion, imperfection, and a real connection to the artist behind it. I don’t think art becomes less important because of technology. If anything, I think it becomes more important. The human side of creativity, storytelling, memory, and emotional expression is what people will continue searching for.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“I’ve been fortunate to participate in a number of exhibitions, studio tours, collaborations, and charity events over the years, many of them connected to the Ottawa and Rideau Lakes arts communities. What I enjoy most is the opportunity to connect directly with people and create work that feels personal and authentic. One of the exhibitions I always enjoy is the Rideau Lakes Studio Tour, where I exhibit alongside other artists in a beautiful rural setting near the Rideau Lakes. It gives visitors the chance to experience the work in a more personal and immersive way. I’ve also exhibited at the Opinicon Resort, a place that has become deeply connected to both my life and artistic inspiration. The landscapes and atmosphere of the Rideau Canal region continue to influence much of my work. A particularly interesting collaboration was working with international streetwear brand Raised by Wolves. That collaboration brought together contemporary art, skate culture, and fashion in a way that felt very natural and creatively energizing. I’ve always been interested in how art can move beyond traditional gallery spaces and connect with different audiences and communities. Projects like that challenge the boundaries between fine art, design, and contemporary culture, which I find exciting. I’ve also created a charitable initiative called Canvas for Kindness, where I use artwork to support local charities and community programs through donations and fundraising events. Giving back through art has become an important part of my journey as an artist.”
