Meet Marianne

WHAT INSPIRES YOUR WORK RIGHT NOW? 

What brings me alive is the freedom to create whatever I want on the canvas and to see the work develop and mature layer by layer. My inspiration is not always present when I start. But as the piece develops, a theme or feeling emerges that takes me through to the end. It's a spontaneous practice. For commissions, I start with a basic of idea of the direction, and then let the process take over. 

 

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN A PIECE IS FINISHED? 

When I both like it and am satisfied it conforms to good artistic design. I intuitively know when it is finished. 

 

IN ONLY A FEW WORDS, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE?

 Bold, gestural and freewheeling, giving the work movement and energy. Color is paramount; usually lighter colors rather than darker. 

 

DID ANYTHING SHIFT OR SURPRISE YOU WHILE CREATING THIS COLLECTION? 

Yes!  In “Wonderland", I experimented using saturated bright color on a field of mostly darker, duller colors, which gave an unexpected spin on the landscape. I also mistakenly painted the upper sky too deep a shade of yellow in "Catch a Breeze." In repainting it, I left lines of the darker color around the top perimeter of some of the clouds, which turned out to be an interesting effect that I love and will use again. 

 

WHO ARE SOME ARTISTS (PAST OR PRESENT) WHO INFLUENCE OR INSPIRE YOU? 

Helen Frankenthaler, Brian Rutenberg, Madeline Denaro, Ash Holmes

 

WHAT MATERIALS OR TECHNIQUES DO YOU MOST ENJOY USING, AND WHY? 

I always finish my pieces with cold wax buffed to a satin finish. It adds richness and is quite beautiful. I also like to contrast thick, smooth layers, with thin or transparent paint, or gritty charcoal. 

 

STUDIO SOUNDTRACK: SILENCE, MUSIC, OR PODCASTS? 

Music! Always. I have a playlist of about 1,000 songs that I’m always adding to. 

 

COFFEE OR TEA WHILE YOU WORK? 

Club soda. 

 

WHAT’S ONE TOOL OR MATERIAL YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT IN THE STUDIO?

 A trowel and bowl scraper, both of which smooth the paint beautifully and can move it around in unexpected ways. 

 

FINISH THIS SENTENCE: “ART IS…” 

exhilarating.