January 4, 2021 – The Center for the Arts presents Marie Wolfe: Sparks Of Imagination, a new art exhibit opening on January 8, 2021. Her paintings will be on display in the Granucci Gallery from January 8 through February 12. 

Living out loud through layers seen and unseen, through weight, depth and texture, Wolfe works to discover the mystery and realm where abstraction and realism meet. Her work has complexity, simplicity and a sense of history that is informed by the idea of impermanence as she builds up and scrapes away marks and gestures while, at times, covering other paintings. Wolfe explains, “I see painting as a whole new way of growing.  Feeling the need to be in touch with a deeper part of myself and to keep art alive in my life and to find expression of beauty and emotion. Something about painting feels good, and exploring this medium is different than other mediums I have tried.”

“Finding inspiration in fragments of nature, urban decay,  emotions and  spirituality, as well as through memory and images of something remembered, I intend that my work have complexity, simplicity and a sense of history as I engage a personal vocabulary of marks, texture, color, shape, space and layers that help express the sensual pleasure and ephemeral quality of life. Living out loud through layers seen and unseen as I work and wait for some form of alchemy to happen. Within the sphere of exploring the dialogue between representational and abstract, I am moved to deconstruct reality as I work along the continuum between the two.  I search for visual moments to capture a particular feeling and allow my mind to roam and create visually appealing pieces that take on independent directions.  I am drawn to aged surfaces that reveal the endless passage of time; objects with a striking physicality. Fragments of urban decay, weather worn surfaces that present textures that were at one time rigid and strong, which have surrendered through time to the elements to which they have been exposed. I see this through my travels, in nature, and through my photography. I look at human form with its myriad of shapes and expression which in turn inform an emotional response.  I tend to not feel constrained by the boundaries of medium. Currently, my choice is oil and cold wax, along with the use of pastels, graphite, marble dust, and more to make up the various layers I play in. Nature and human experience through its strengths and fragility are a rich store of ideas and inspiration.”   

Gallery Curator Brynn Farwell discovered Wolfe’s work while organizing the Open Studios tour in 2018. Farwell notes that, “although Marie was new to painting at the time and without a formal arts education, I was struck by her innate ability to capture form using a simple palette and collection of line and texture. Since then, the raw expression via use of the materials in her work has quickly grown and matured in a way that it becomes obvious how much she has learned about her craft in such a short period of time. Her work varies between figurative and abstract landscape in a way that is natural and explorative.”

Marie Wolfe’s painting exhibit, Sparks of Imagination, will be on display in The Granucci Gallery at The Center for the Arts from Friday, January 8 through Friday, February 12, 2021.  The gallery, located at 314 West Main Street in downtown Grass Valley, is open Tuesday through Friday from noon to 4:00 p.m. There will be a Zoom Artist Q&A on Wednesday, February 3. Visit thecenterforthearts.org to RSVP and for more information.

WHAT:  Marie Wolfe: Sparks Of Imagination
WHEN: January 8, 2021 through February 12, 2021 | Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Friday, Noon – 4:00 p.m. | Art Opening: Friday, January 8, 2021 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: The Granucci Gallery at The Center for the Arts | 314 W. Main Street Grass Valley, CA
WEBSITE:https://thecenterforthearts.org/event/marie-wolfe/
ADMISSION: Free Exhibit
INFO:gallery@thecenterforthearts.org | 530-274-8384