Quirks of Art
Paintings by Marilyn Folson

 

 

My paintings develop out of a curious mix of observation, memory, experimentation, exploration and, of course, practice. Ideas evolve as the technical and compositional challenges are met. I let the process take me where it will.  In the finished piece, memory (however faulty, emotion-based or exaggerated) and aesthetic decision making  result in ideas that are new to me.

People appear often in my work, but they lack personalities.  Birds and animals appear.  Movement is emphasized. The work tends to take on a dark tone and expands into the area of social and environmental consciousness. Meanings can become complex, sometimes obscure, and always open to interpretation. The paintings seem to follow from ideas and methods of working developed in my sculptures, and from my interest in the human  predicament.

In my most recent work,  I have begun to think of the canvas as a stage. 

 

I have always preferred poems that have an immediate appeal, but then slowly reveal layers of meaning. I look for that kind of challenge in my painting. I am grateful for the patient viewer.