MARLENE HOWELL (nee Seki)
marlenehowellgallery.com
Marlene was born in Toronto, where her artistic development is credited to attending a four year art course at Toronto Western Technical and Commercial High School. While living in New York in 2002 to 2004, she attended art classes at the Art Student League of New York. Attending the Victoria Federation of Canadian Artists classes, and other classes by inspirational artists in British Columbia provided her an ample source for development in the arts. Visual experiences are her inspiration, so she generally works from photographs, using various techniques and experimenting with medium choices such as graphite, charcoal, watercolour, pastels and acrylic.
In 1996 she and her husband Bob moved to Vancouver Island from Ottawa. Since then, she has lived and has exhibited her artwork in Khartoum, Sudan where she sold her first piece of artwork. This inspired her to organise seven International and local artists to create the "Khartoum Calendar" of which more than 1500 were sold and a portion of the profits donated to Mother Teresa's Orphanage.
Living in Phnom Penh, Cambodia 2004 to 2006 provided the opportunity exhibit her winning "City of Victoria Banners" at the Canadian Embassy at the request of Canada's Ambassador to Cambodia, on Canada Day 2006. She also exhibited and sold her art at the Raffles Hotel Art Gallery in Phnom Penh.
Living in Langford, BC since 2007, she was one of the main organisers for the Art Shows held at the Royal Colwood Golf Club, and inspired RCGC member artists to participate in the exhibitions, 2017 to 2019, which were in support of Soroptimists International of Greater Victoria and Westshore Soroptimist.
The Centennial Celebration of Royal Colwood Golf Club in 2013 was an opportunity to create two Heritage art works reflecting the early scenes of the Golf Club which are on permanent display at the front entrance.
Having the opportunity to be "Artist in Residence" at the Chateau Victoria Hotel, Hotel Grand Pacific, and Coast Victoria Hotel and Marina, helped to prepare Marlene as "Artist in Residence" at the Maritime Museum of British Columbia for the LOST FLEET EXHIBITION. "A Series For Contemplation" which was exhibited from January 12 to March31 2019. The "Lost Fleet Exhibition" illustrated the confiscation of West Coast Japanese Canadian fishing boats during World War II.
Currently, Marlene is creating a body of nostalgic artwork, "TO SEE IS TO REMEMBER", which is based on the lives and memorabilia of the Japanese Canadians during the 1940s and early 1950s, of which 4 completed works will be exhibited at the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre from May 27th to September 27th 2025, with the reception being held on May 29that 6:00 p.m. The total project is to be completed by December 2025. Many thanks, gratitude and appreciation to the Japanese Canadian Legacy Society for providing the needs to get this art project off the ground. The Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre is providing the venue for future exhibitions. The many researchers, past and present, Landscapes of Injustice, City of Richmond archives, Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre archives, and Kushiro Kimura documentations were her prime source for archival photographs and information.
In July 2026 the complete body of work will be exhibited at a solo show, at the ARTS AND CULTURE SOCIETY OF COLWOOD BC. Marlene gratefully acknowledges support from Japanese Canadian Legacies Society, Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre, and the Victoria Nikkei Cultural Centre.
Marlene is an Exhibiting Member of the Federation of Canadian Artists and her works have been accepted and displayed in FCA exhibitions held in Vancouver and Victoria, the "Sooke Fine Art Show" and the "Sidney Fine Art Show". She can also be found in the directory of Japanese Canadian Artists.
