By Remy Li
"Art is something that has given me a tremendous amount of meaning throughout my life," says Lindsay Cohen, a Collingwood alumni, a talented artist, and an emergency physician. Lindsay was raised in North Vancouver and went to Collingwood for high school. During her high school period, she enjoyed both arts and sciences but eventually decided to pursue medicine at McGill University. She's now happily living back in North Vancouver and working as an emergency physician, while pursuing her passion for art on the side. Living in North Van, she loves taking advantage of the beautiful mountains and forests right in her backyard. She's often out on the trails hiking with Leo, her Labrador.
Whether one decides to pursue a career in the arts or to maintain it as a hobby on the side, Lindsay thinks it can offer so much in the way of self-reflection and connection with others. Throughout med school and residency, she often questioned her decision to become a physician, and wondered why she didn't pursue art. Even in those circumstances, Lindsay always tried to make time for art as a hobby, and interestingly, it became something that has ultimately given her balance in life and has allowed her to enjoy her career in medicine even more. She thinks it is important to be able to maintain balance and perspective in her time, and to have more than one focus, especially if you are very career-driven; art is something that can provide this.
In her life, Lindsay has always been inspired by food as art, and her artistic focus has always revolved around it, even in high school. When she sees a row of donuts or a giant cake, she immediately starts thinking about how she can immortalize them in a piece of art. One of Lindsay's all-time favourite artists is Irving Penn; if you have ever looked through a Vogue magazine, you will recognize his iconic still-life photographs of food. Lindsay has always used mixed media in her art, and has experimented with various media within this category. Right now, she is using hydrocal, which is similar to plaster of Paris but stronger. She pours it into food-shaped molds and then bakes it after it hardens, then she affixes it to a panel that she has painted.
"Art is something that has given me a tremendous amount of meaning throughout my life," says Lindsay Cohen, a Collingwood alumni, a talented artist, and an emergency physician. Lindsay was raised in North Vancouver and went to Collingwood for high school. During her high school period, she enjoyed both arts and sciences but eventually decided to pursue medicine at McGill University. She's now happily living back in North Vancouver and working as an emergency physician, while pursuing her passion for art on the side. Living in North Van, she loves taking advantage of the beautiful mountains and forests right in her backyard. She's often out on the trails hiking with Leo, her Labrador.
Whether one decides to pursue a career in the arts or to maintain it as a hobby on the side, Lindsay thinks it can offer so much in the way of self-reflection and connection with others. Throughout med school and residency, she often questioned her decision to become a physician, and wondered why she didn't pursue art. Even in those circumstances, Lindsay always tried to make time for art as a hobby, and interestingly, it became something that has ultimately given her balance in life and has allowed her to enjoy her career in medicine even more. She thinks it is important to be able to maintain balance and perspective in her time, and to have more than one focus, especially if you are very career-driven; art is something that can provide this.
In her life, Lindsay has always been inspired by food as art, and her artistic focus has always revolved around it, even in high school. When she sees a row of donuts or a giant cake, she immediately starts thinking about how she can immortalize them in a piece of art. One of Lindsay's all-time favourite artists is Irving Penn; if you have ever looked through a Vogue magazine, you will recognize his iconic still-life photographs of food. Lindsay has always used mixed media in her art, and has experimented with various media within this category. Right now, she is using hydrocal, which is similar to plaster of Paris but stronger. She pours it into food-shaped molds and then bakes it after it hardens, then she affixes it to a panel that she has painted.
Lindsay loves mixed media because to her, it offers an endless array of possibilities and she has always been inspired by random objects that she finds, whether it be vintage jewellery or a piece of plastic food. When admiring the artwork of others, she doesn't have a particular style that she prefers, although she would say that she's primarily drawn to modern art. The MoMA in New York is one of her all-time favourite galleries. In addition to all her food pieces, she has also been drawn to minimalism and pattern repetition. Her current body of work explores these areas without losing the focus on food! And guess what? Lindsay even has a piece of art on display at Virtuous Pie, a restaurant in Vancouver! And this work is, of course, food-themed!
Lindsay hopes to continue to find meaning and balance in her art. It is very easy to let life become too busy and to forget about your hobbies when you feel you don't have time for them. However, in the long run, these are the most essential things in life, and Lindsay always tries to remember this and make time for the things that matter. We wish Lindsay Cohen the best of luck in her future artistic pursuits!
