Featured Artist of the Week
Mari Nicolson
Website: marinicolson.com
E mail: mari99@me.com
Mari works in a variety of mixed media, including painting with hot bees
wax (encaustic), using super high gloss epoxy resin, and a variety of
acrylic mediums and photo transfer processes. All of Mari’s artwork is
made from the highest quality materials. All of the encaustic
(beeswax) media is made by hand, and the paper ephemera and other
objects are original antiques, or pieces found in nature or on Mari’s
travels. Since Mari is also a professional photographer, many of the
images used in the work are from personal collections.
Where were you born?
Toronto
If you could have an art related vacation anywhere in the
world where would you go and why?
I have always wanted to go to Japan. I love so much about the culture and the
historical woodblock prints, ink paintings, and more recently some incredible
contemporary artists who work in many types of media. The architecture and landscape is beautiful
as well, and it is always inspiring to be in a culture, both physically and
philosophically, that is different than your own.
What’s your favourite thing to create and why?
I love working with photographs, antique and collected
ephemera, and a variety of mixed media, which I incorporate into encaustic or
resin paintings. Both the encaustic
(wax) and resin have similar properties, as both have a base in tree resin,
which adds a lustre and depth to any materials combined with them. I love to travel, and I am constantly
collecting evertything from birch bark to postage stamps to use in my
work. They are some kind of narrative,
many about places I’ve been or people I’ve met.
How did you get your start in the world of art?
I am lucky to have
come from a very artistic family. My
great uncle and my grandmother were very accomplished painters, and my mother
is still painting and showing her work.
I completed an Honours B.F.A. at York University, and then completed a B.Ed to share my
passion for art with others, which I have been doing for 23 years now.
Do you have go-to paints/colors that you love to use in
your art work?
It seems I am always
attracted to either turquoise and greens, or gold and burgundy. I am not sure how this happened, but when I
look back at my body of work of the years, it seems to be true.
Who has been your biggest inspiration as an artist?
Robert Rauschenberg has constantly amazed me with his ability
to combine very disparate materials into a cohesive and beautiful artwork. As I travel to galleries around the world and
see more of his unpublished work, I am never disappointed. He is also a very accomplished photographer
which I admire.
What have been some of your crowning achievements?
As an artist, I guess it has been some of the very well
known and influential people who have purchased my work for collections in
other countries. That is really exciting
to think about where the works are, and who is enjoying them. As a parent, it is seeing the exceptional
photographic and film work of my daughter Caitlin.
If you could have three wishes as an artist, what would
they be?
That I could have a very large, well ventilated studio.
That I could only deal with making the art, not promoting,
selling or cataloguing, etc.
That I could be a
full time artist without having to pursue other forms of income.
What is the best advice that you have received as an
artist?
That you should make
the art that you want to make, and that speaks to you. Never try to make what you think will sell
well, or what other people want.
What colour best describes your personality?
I guess Indigo. It is a deep intuitive colour, with a rich
and fascinating history.
Thank you Mari
