Meet the GallaRE Artist: Marielle Myers

Our Fall 2012 GallaRE Art Show is coming up in just three short weeks.  It’s time to start introducing our featured Louisiana artists!

 

Today, we feature Marielle Myers

whose pottery and sculpture will be exhibited at the show.

Read on to learn about where Marielle grew up, what inspires her art, and some of her biggest influences.  You can also visit her website for more information:  www.mariellemyers.com

HCM: Where did you grow up?

Marielle: I grew up in Lake Charles, Louisiana on 80 acres of land. The property consisted mostly of trees in addition to a small family farm.

 

HCM: How long have you been an artist?

Marielle: I’m not sure if there is an exact moment that you can say “Now, I am an artist”. Is it when you obtain a degree, the moment you complete your first piece, or the first time you touch a pencil to paper and begin to draw? I guess it depends on your definition of what makes a person an artist. I can say, however, that I have been around and have made artwork ever since I can remember.

HCM: Have you always worked in the media you work in now?

Marielle: No, I have not always worked in the media that I work in now. I started out like most with drawing and painting. College was great because it exposed me to a wide variety of mediums. I also had wonderful teachers who encouraged me to experiment and explore. When I am given that kind of freedom I tend to take it and run. I graduated in 2011 with concentrations in ceramics, painting, printmaking, and drawing. Majoring in multiple concentrations has shown me that every media relates to one another.  The skills from each area help to strengthen the skills of the others.

 

HCM: What other things or circumstances inspire you?

Marielle: My past, my experiences, and emotions are a huge source for inspiration. Creating and working on my pieces can also be very therapeutic. My immediate environment also inspires me. During the day, I work in the office of my Uncle’s fabrication shop. This allows me unlimited access to inspiration for my pieces; they even let me “borrow” parts to look at. I love to explore junkyards and rundown buildings. The forms of machine parts and the surfaces created by time and rust fascinate me. I am also drawn to the fact that these decaying objects become a cradle for new life when nature over takes them. The broken machines nurture and protect the new growth much like a mother does a child.

 

HCM: Do you have a routine for making art: a certain time of day, or a favorite place to go?

Marielle: I have always preferred to work at night. Time seems to stop; it’s somber, there is less going on which makes it is easier to get lost in my work and focus. However, with a day job and a child I am finding that night time is better used for sleeping.

 

HCM: Are you inspired by the work of any other artists? If so, who?

Marielle: I am continuously inspired by other artist’s work and movements in art history. Research is a huge aspect to my creative process. And my research isn’t limited to any particular medium either. I believe current artist’s works are equally important to those of past artists. It is like the saying “You have to know where you have been to know where you are going”.

Some favorite artists that I look at are:  Auguste Rodin, Francis Bacon, Albrecht Dürer, Ivan Albright, Jack Orman, Rackstraw Downes, Tom French, Steven Montgomery, Lindsay Feuer, John Von Bergen, Sam Jinks, James Ehlers, Ron Mueck, Richard Hirsch, Kevin Llewellyn, Sarah Simblet, Paul Cadden, Armin Mersmann

 

HCM: What do you hope viewers take away from your art?

Marielle: Like many artists the goal of my work is to inspire a change within the viewer.  The change cannot be touched or seen, only felt in response to the work.  Whether the change is momentary or long term, the existence of it is what is important.

HCM: Do you have an artist’s statement, a mission statement, or a motto?

Marielle: The present is the way it is because the past happened precisely the way it did. Our way of life and our environment is built upon what happened before. The past is just as, if not more, important as the present. Nothing dies or disappears, it cannot be erased, it only transforms.

In my body of work I address time and the changes that can occur as time passes. Through the addition of layers I am able to visually represent this concept. Each time a plate is etched in acid it physically deteriorates the surface producing a sense of age. Layering paint on a ceramic surface creates a history from the first layer that seeps into the clay to last that completes the piece.

The inspiration for my work comes from forms that I have come into contact with in my immediate environment. There is a certain beauty in the transformation of aged objects. Old abandoned machines decay and evolve as time passes and they can even become habitats for plants and other natural life. Patches of grass or a flower in full bloom can portray stages of growth. Similar to deteriorating machines, bones can mark a death, an end, or a change to what once was. In a way death represents life as it becomes the structure upon which life grows. Time can even be expressed as coming into contact with something new, there is a growth in thought, and a conclusion with a memory.​

Now that you know more about Marielle, you should come out to the GallaRE Art Show on September 6th to see her work for yourself!  All of the event details are here, and you can RSVP on Facebook by clicking here.