Profiles of Contemporary Art and - ARTisSpectrum

Susan Marx
Susan Marx painting en plein air
American artist Susan Marx creates
•bright, light-filled paintings
full of color that are informed by
both Impressionism and Abstract
Expressionism. She paints nature, but
is not bound by it, abstracting forms and
shapes freely as the painting dictates.
Often working outside, en plein air, Marx
culls her inspiration from the nature
around her, observing the world carefully
and then responding spontaneously with
her paintbrush to what she sees and
feels. When she paints indoors, her
work continues to be influenced by this
direct experience with nature.
What makes Marx’s paintings so
remarkable is her masterful use of
pattern, color, and form. Paying particular
attention to formal elements, each
image is a study in design, a deliberate
placement of shapes onto canvas with
a focus on the effect of light on color.
Her work never loses its spontaneity,
resulting in a truly thrilling visual
experience. There is an expressionist
component to her work as well, a primal
emotional response to the visual world
that underscores each line and form.
Her dynamic paint-filled brushstrokes
and use of color are the main vehicles
for these emotive elements. As she
explains, “I am in love with color and
I am in love with paint. I like to think
that I draw in color. My
emotions are in the lines
and shapes as my visual
experience is turned
into paint.” The result is
artwork which contains
both her emotional
reaction to and her sense
of the scene as it was, and
presents these appealing
and emotive features to
the viewer.
Marx’s dedication to
formalism, combined
with her passionate
reinterpretation of the
world around her, results
in paintings that are as
breathtaking as they
are compelling. “My art
is a result of my radical
amazement at the visual
world around me and
my need to turn that
visual experience into
paint. Nature may be my
starting point, but it is not
my end result.” It is this personal vision
and ability to translate the natural world
into something decidedly human that
renders Marx’s work so fascinating and
keeps viewers from all over the world
coming back for more.
Garden, Afternoon Light, 2010 Acrylic on Masonite 24” x 30”
Unseen Garden, 2011 Acrylic on Masonite 30” x 24”
Susan Marx currently lives in Orange,
New Jersey.
www.susanmarxartist.com
www.agora-gallery.com/ArtistPage/
Susan_Marx.aspx
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