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Tuesday, 11 June 2013

Artist of the Week Mari Nicolson


                            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

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