Marie works in both abstract and representational art.
She has found that abstract art has helped her to better see her representational art.
Join us as we have…
A conversation with Marie T Harris
"Luminosity"
When did you begin creating art?
As a child I created new designs
for paper dolls, but it wasn't until I was a parent in my twenties that I first
took art lessons and discovered that I enjoyed drawing and painting. I began
with charcoal, soft pastels and oils then. Later I explored watercolor,
acrylics and two years ago, oil pastels. Now I enjoy working in all these
different mediums and often do the same piece in another medium to discover how
each one evolves. I believe that using different media helps me develop and
grow. I also enjoy doing both representational as well as abstract art.
I only began doing abstract art three years ago, but I feel it helps me see my
representational work also as abstract shapes and color forms more clearly.
What motivates you to create?
Because I love color that I see in nature and life, I feel the need to express myself with color in my art.
"Snowy
Night"
A particular light crossing over the snow at night; beautiful skies and sunsets; busy cities and tranquil landscapes, luscious flowers in my garden---all motivate me to paint. Sometimes it is the challenge of painting something difficult and trying to figure out how to express it in an aesthetic way that influences my choice. With abstracts, it is the discovery of color, form, shape from within myself that stimulates my creativity and I usually don't know exactly what the outcome will be. That is exciting in itself--a self discovery.
"First Light"
How does traveling affect your artwork?
I sketch and paint when I travel
as well as take numerous photos. Seeing the beauty and culture in different
countries enriches me and provides me with many creative experiences that I use
in my art. I also visit museums, galleries and art shows when I travel to see
what is being painted internationally, or on our West coast, in Florida,
etc. To see so many varied methods and kinds of art being done inspires me.
What is upper-most in your mind when you create?
As I stated earlier, color is what I enjoy most, but getting a good composition with varied values, balance and harmony is also important. Sometimes I have an idea of a painting in my mind, but often it is better when I let the painting dictate and tell me where to go next. With abstracts, I often experiment with color and see what evolves to create a painting.
"Outer Space I & II"
What attracted you to oil pastels?
The very first time I used oil pastels was in a free workshop given by a pastelist when I was visiting Yosemite National Park in California. We sat in the grass and painted the mountains with Cray-pas oil pastels. I enjoyed the experience. Then when I returned home I took a workshop using oil pastels to create abstractions that totally sold me on oil pastels. I used Holbein oil pastels because they hold up well to scraping and experimental techniques. Then I also tried creating a few more representational pieces in which I found Sennelier oil pastel colors were very vibrant. I like taking oil pastels when I travel because they pack well and are so easy to use. I also subsequently read John Elliot's book, "Oil Pastel for the Serious Beginner" and found useful information on using oil pastels with mixed media. I did use oil pastel and gold leaf which was very interesting to do. I have yet to explore other techniques using oil pastels.
Hibiscus with
Gold Leaf
Which brands do you use?
The project determines which oil
pastel to use. For layering and scraping techniques I prefer Holbein. For
layering exclusively I use Sennelier, Cray-pas, Loew Cornell, Portfolio, and
Caran D'ache Neopastels. Sometimes I apply them thickly and sometimes I let
the paper come through. With the abstracts I scrape and blend more; with the
representational I mostly layer.
What surface do you use?
For the abstracts I use BFK printing paper. So far for the representational I use Canson pastel paper. But I expect to experiment more on other surfaces.
What artists inspire you?
Degas, Manet, Monet, Cezanne,
Van Gogh, Picasso, Kandinsky, Joan Mitchell, Sargeant and many others.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone starting with Oil
Pastels, what would it be?
Buy a set of colorful oil pastels and experiment by layering lightly colors that you see or that please you. You can sketch with the pastels or do a preliminary sketch first. Take a workshop if possible and read books on techniques to use with oil pastel such as John Elliot's book.
"Nightfall"