Mareija Eskelinen is a local Canadian artist based in Port Moody, British Columbia, whose work celebrates the natural beauty of the West Coast. Specializing in acrylic landscape painting, she draws inspiration from the towering mountains, ancient forests, and ever-changing coastline that have surrounded her since childhood.
From an early age, Mareija explored a variety of creative and athletic pursuits – including skiing, dance, and visual arts – before following a career in software development. It was after the birth of her children, however, that painting became a profound calling: not merely a pastime, but an essential practice that brought focus and peace to a busy life.
Deeply influenced by the landscapes she grew up exploring and by the legacy of Canadian artistic greats, Mareija has developed a style that blends simplified forms with a reverence for the natural world’s truth and spirit. Rather than striving for realism, she seeks to convey the essence and emotional resonance of a scene – the feeling of standing among old-growth trees or gazing across a mist-covered inlet. Through brush and paint, she strives to capture not only what can be seen, but also what can be felt: the quiet grandeur and timeless presence of the land.
