Liliane Lear was born and raised in rural Manitoba and studied Fine Arts at the University of Manitoba. She has been a full-time practicing artist for the past 40 years and is a prolific producer of work in a variety of media. In her early years she concentrated on photography. Pencil drawings and oils on canvas, exploring a wide range of styles from the highly realistic to the abstract and fantastical. More recently she has shifted her focus to embroidery, perfecting a method she calls ‘vraifil’, mixed strands of real sewing thread, closely and expressively stitched. Working from small to very large scale, her highly stylized and wildly colourful compositions are made up of recognizable subjects complicated by surreal abstractions. Liliane Lear is a nationally recognized exhibiting artist living and working in Mississauga, Ontario.

The computer is indispensable for designing the subject matter for my artwork. I spend hours manipulating images; it is the best computer game ever. What a great pleasure it is to watch an image evolve to the point where it is really eye pleasing and I can’t wait to render it. I should point out that most of my efforts with computer images wind up as total failures. Just the odd one winds up being suitable, but that is all I need. And pleasing my eye is my main concern. I work with either oil paint or thread. From the beginning my embroideries have been mistaken for oil paintings, at a distance they really do look like paintings. I’ve recently been told that my paintings are now beginning to resemble embroideries… I am very happy using both media. As a matter of fact, I feel the need to switch back and forth; one seems to power the other. Working with thread certainly has its advantages. Embroideries travel well. No matter how huge the work, the work space can be small. It’s very relaxing, there’s no mess, no odour, no drying time, no risk of toxins, needles never need cleaning, etc. However, after a bout of needling, it’s nice to be sitting in front of an oil painting.