Marian Drouillard has been a full-time visual artist since retiring from her day job in 2017, continually exploring new directions in her creative practice. Working with alcohol and acrylic inks, acrylic paint, and hand-designed collage papers, she creates richly layered works on canvas, wood art panels, and specialty papers. Her portfolio ranges from Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) to larger scale whimsical abstract compositions.

A graduate with honours from the Visual Arts & Design program at St. Lawrence College in Cornwall, ON, Marian majored in Graphic Design in the mid-1970s. Over the course of a diverse career, every role she held allowed her to deepen her creative skills in some form. Further studies at the University of Windsor (Urban Geography) and St. Clair College (Digital Multimedia Certificate, computer software, and digital photography) introduced her to emerging digital technologies that later shaped her professional path.

These skills led her to the City of Windsor’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) field, where she eventually served as Manager of the Geomatics Division. There, she and her team integrated aerial imagery, digital mapping, engineering drawings, and municipal data into applications used across the corporation and by the public. It’s no surprise that many of her artworks now feature abstract, bird’s-eye perspectives inspired by viewing the world from above.

Marian’s creative contributions over the years include mural paintings, 300 ink illustrations for an Ontario French Education Literacy Series (1990s), the development and teaching of a six-course Post-Graduate Certificate in Municipal GIS at St. Clair College (2000s), and Alcohol Ink Workshops offered privately and through multiple public institutions (2020s).

A lifelong learner, Marian continues to pursue new skills while enthusiastically sharing her knowledge with others.