Meet the artist
Lillian Acheson is a Canadian artist, born and raised in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario. Lillian grew up homeschooled and learned most of her artistic skills from books and observing the world around her. As she got older, she set aside her childhood dream of becoming a professional artist in favour of finding a more “stable career”. But after trying and failing to find a career she was passionate about, she decided to take a chance and go to art school. After graduating with a diploma in Fine Arts in 2025, she launched her career as a freelance oil painter.
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Schooling
Lillian attended Durham College for Fine Arts from 2022 to 2025, taking her artistic practice to the next level. Through her schooling, Lillian learned many skills, including sculpting, woodworking, painting, drawing and more. She enjoys branching out and trying new things, but in her second year, she fell in love with oil painting. The rich colours and smooth blending caught her eye more than any other medium she had tried. She now enjoys using oil paint in almost all of her work, from colourful landscapes to detailed portraits. She also worked for the school as a muralist from 2024 to 2025.
Mission and Values
Lillian’s Christian faith influences many of her pieces, opening up a space to reflect on the viewer’s own beliefs and morals. Her goal is to shine a light on life’s greatest dilemmas: death, morality and the passing of time. She has always been a deep thinker, contemplating the meaning of her experiences and time here on earth. Through her work, she aims to reach others who can relate and encourage them to contemplate these questions as well.
Process
Lillian starts her oil paintings with an acrylic underpainting built up by many thin, monochromatic layers. She uses the underpainting to decide the values before placing the oil paint on top. Textures made with mattifying paste, sand and other minerals play an important part in several of her paintings. She also enjoys experimenting with other media, such as ink drawing, jewellery making, and gouache painting. Check out her Instagram for more on her process.