#LoveYourShorelines
Shorelines
I have been bursting at the seams to share my new project with you, #LoveYourShorelines. Last year, I started a series called Shorelines. The premise of Shorelines was born out of a self-imposed discipline to spend more time painting outside. I would pack some supplies and spend a few hours a day painting on the beach. I documented the light, the texture, the shapes I observed on the shorelines of Lake Ontario through 8×11″ studies. Through this exercise my relationship to the Lake became more intimate.
Inspiration
Summer finally came to Toronto at the end of September, this past year. There was a particularly magical September Saturday that I spent on the beach with a friend… along with half of Toronto. Seriously, I had never seen that many people out in the Beaches before without the draw of fireworks or some kind of event. There was maximum activity: swimming, paddling, kayaking, sun-tanning, playing games. That day showed me what I had been wondering about all along: our identity as a waterfront community is still there, somewhere after all.
Intention
#LoveYourShorelines consists of two crewneck sweatshirts (for now). I designed them with a dual lifestyle in mind. You can easily pack a crewneck with you to the cottage, or style it with some denim for your best athleisure city look.
I created something that could embody a lifestyle that prioritized awareness, passion, simplicity, and love for the water.
Purpose
I am deeply inspired by the time I spend outdoors. Therefore my priority was to create an ecology within the architecture of this project that supported my favourite places. On a quarterly basis, I will be donating 5% of the proceeds to the Lake Ontario Waterkeeper. LOW was founded in 2001 upon the belief that the Great Lakes should be safe, drinkable, fishable and swimmable. They work to organize clean-ups and programs for public education. LOW also fights policies that threaten or ignore the health of the Great Lakes.