Jumping feet first into the next decade, surrounded by sparkling, clear, turquoise water and a dense, emerald jungle. Two of my favorite colors to see and paint. Not to mention a special group of people by my side. I have to admit, I was a bit hesitant to commit to this adventure, mostly given the timing - New Year’s Eve is the busiest week for Tulum, and I’m not much of a big NYE gal. Glad I made the plunge and feeling very grateful to have been able to make the journey.
After being back in North Carolina for Christmas and down to Mexico for NYE, I’m settling back into San Francisco, reflecting on the past year(s) and envisioning the future. I’ve been working on my new art website for about a month and am excited to finally launch live today. As I do so, wanted to share a bit of my path up until now and a few 2020 ambitions.
I’ve always loved creating, generally, and particularly art. Just ask my mom - she’ll tell you that every house we’ve ever moved out of, they’d discover masterpieces (doodles) behind my bed. They sent me to art lessons in the summers, and I remember painting my first acrylic on canvas in 2003 when I was 16 for an English project (which I gifted to my Spanish teacher, as the painting was an interpretation of El Greco’s, “View of Toledo”). From then until 5 years ago, I created pieces for my home but never created enough time/space to delve into my passion or share it with others.
Nearly four years ago, I experienced what was one of the most joyous moments of my life - creating for others. Getting paid to do something I love? Sheer awe and gratitude! I moved to San Francisco in 2015 for a two-year graduate program at California College of the Arts. The flexible schedule of this degree gave me the ability to finally spend more time with brush and various mediums. I was fortunate to have studio space at home in Pacific Heights, a studio in the Mission next to one of my best friends (cheneybesharaart.com) and weekly space at CCA surrounded by a community that challenged me to grow. This fall, I was fortunate enough to move my studio to the Marina where I’ve got plenty of natural light.
Since receiving my master’s degree two years ago, I’ve been working in tech marketing and making time for my art whenever possible. I have sold/donated twenty-eight pieces and participated in two shows at Art Explosion Studios (San Francisco) in 2016 and San Francisco Design Week in 2018. “Embrace” and “Fierce” (both charcoal and pencil sketches on paper) sit in the offices at Canopy in Jackson Square, a high end co-working space created by renowned designer Yves Behar, talented developer Amir Mortazavi and businessman Steve Mohebi. “Love is love is love is love” (acrylic on canvas) was donated and sold at UNICEF’s Art Party in LA in 2017.
The past year I have been focused on abstract oil paintings. Some are compacted oval, round, square shapes in colors that fade and dissolve from region to region, giving it an almost stained glass effect. Some that stem from a particular scene in which I disorient the shapes and work in the negative space to reach a compelling composition. In the past few months, I’ve also studied and created aerial ocean shots, prompted by a commission. Tulum was more great inspiration in the area of water, sand and landscape, so I look forward to expanding in this arena in 2020, as well as continuing to build the abstract collection.
This year, I will be hosting two solo shows - one in the spring and fall. Additionally, I will be submitting my work to galleries across the country - more to come on dates/location.
Thank you all for your support!
Lots of love, Marisa