Artist Statement
What is remarkable to me about artistic expression is its potential to reach all of us through our own emotional pathways. My paintings are the most effective way to share stories that are unique to me, yet resonate with our shared humanity.
The work evolves through thoughts and feelings, initially in a non-representational way. As the surface acquires more paint, figures or shapes emerge that speak to my mind and heart. The initial marks and structure will change in the painting’s development which enables me to retain a gestural quality in the paintings.
Ultimately, a piece becomes an expression that lives between reality and our hopes and dreams.
Marlene Maier
My adult life began in the sciences, focusing on the human body and its miraculous complexity. I received a BA in Health Sciences and Humanities at the University of California at Berkeley in 1982, followed by a Masters in Public Health at U.C. Berkeley in 1983. Through life experiences I came to understand these interests in a different way, and so began a pursuit of the human body as an art form.
While raising our family I attended classes at various art schools, centers and community colleges. Participation in painting groups and workshops constantly exposed me to the uniqueness of each fellow artist’s voice. Looking back, this was the impetus I needed to develop my language in figurative abstraction.
I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Marianne Mitchell, founder of Whole Artist Mastery. Thanks to her guidance and instruction I am free of the confines of traditional methods, using them instead in service to personal expression.
