Featured Artist Marion Griese

Canadian painter Marion Griese presents a portfolio of abstracts in her distinctive Mid-Century Modern style. Enjoy and visit her website to see more.

 

 

One of my earliest and most vivid memories as a child is sitting at the kitchen table drawing pictures with my mother. I experienced great pleasure deciding which coloured pencil I would choose next.

 

 

My love for art and creative exploration continues to this day, whether I am working in the studio, studying artists or teaching art to young children. I was lucky to grow up in a home with parents who fostered creativity and curiosity in their children. Many forms of craft were practised and explored.

 

 

It was there that I learned that creativity – giving voice to our experiences through any form of creative project – is an essential part of being human. It can inspire and share insights with others. Growing up with this knowledge, support, and a desire for making led me to pursue a degree in Fine Art and later to study Jewellery Art and Design.

 

 

Like most artists, I have worked in many different styles, mediums and subjects over time. My work has gone through many stages.

 

 

My earliest work was more representational in style. I looked to the landscape and the human figure for inspiration. Over time, and with the added experience of working three-dimensionally during my time making jewellery, my interests shifted. I found representational work interesting and challenging to execute. But I’ve always been more emotionally drawn to abstract art.

 

 

I began to look closer at artists, designers, sculptors and architects who I admired. I realized that it was the elegant simplicity of their work and often a very strong sense of colour that I found inspiring. Two artistic movements in particular, which I continually return to as a source of inspiration, are the Bauhaus and Mid-Century periods.

 

 

A few years ago, I decided to participate in “The 100 Day Project”. I committed to painting one hundred 6″ x 6″ abstracts. It was during this challenge that my work started to move in a new direction.

 

 

I wanted to explore a new way of painting, starting with a blank canvas and letting myself be led by my intuition. Many times the shapes and colours that appear in my work are distillations of images I’ve collected and filed away in my memories. What I enjoy most is the difficult process of arranging these various elements in such a way that the work is visually exciting and emotionally resonant.

 

 

Since I began the challenge, my paintings have increased in scale. I continue to refine and develop this new “artistic language” for myself through my daily painting practice.

 

 

I find the act of painting to be like a journey. It is my love of arranging shapes of colour and orchestrating a composition that sings. It propels the journey forward and is what I find most satisfying about the work I do.

 

 

My hope is always that the painting I create will breathe life into a space in the same way that music can colour a room. Although the results are different with each painting, my work is always rooted in my deep appreciation for the natural world around me.

 

Marion Griese invites you to follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

 

 

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