Marjie Lewis Quint |
Everything I do begins with my eye. Rather than carrying around a sketchbook like many artists, I always have my camera with me, ever ready to capture that image that inexplicably draws me to it. These photos are then used in inspirational ways in my paintings. The result is something I refer to as psychological landscapes.
I originally studied graphic design and worked in advertising for a number of years before devoting myself to exploring my fine art. My training and background as a graphic designer informs my art, most noticeably in the framing devices, canvas montages, and the juxtaposed imagery that I use for contrast and rhythm. I am drawn to a mood that is both ambiguous and psychological. I use color and shape as a surrealistic design template.
I work primarily in oil paints, a medium I prefer because of the richness of its colors and the flexibility it offers for experimentation. I find myself drawn to strong color hues and contrasts to evoke mood. I also love drawing and enjoy incorporating illustration in my paintings.
All artists have some fundamental intent in their art. Many want to inspire, compel, shock or excite. I want to search for an alternate reality, to use my eye to find the soul and to explore the wonder and beauty of nature. I am interested in the hidden landscape, a subject’s interior world, the story that only careful seeing reveals. Quite simply, I want to draw the viewer into an altered sense of space, time and atmosphere.