Marian JA Vieux

I am an artist working in several artistic modalities, focusing on living philosophies of nature for inspiration. I currently live and work in the Great Lakes region, a stark contrast to the southwestern Kansas prairie in which I grew up. My developed consciousness of landscape, its contrast and the merging of the elemental forces and forms in nature, and of those which inhabit the terrain, are the dynamic source of my artistic imagery.  I currently find inspiration in the forest of Wisconsin, with its vigorous greens of summer and its yellows and reds of fall.  My attention is drawn to the fascinating textures and forms of vegetation; tree bark; branching patterns; and waterways.  In working with landscapes and landforms, I translate sensibilities of the literary Magical Realist movement into a visual vocabulary that simultaneously creates a realist and fantastical artwork. My life as an artist has been a journey of risk taking. In demanding the most from myself, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to stand on the edge of artistic evolution, in small and large ways. Ultimately, the aim is the deeper discovery of the intricacies of the natural and social environment in which we live. This is a meditative work in progress, expressing a patterned process in time. I utilize and manipulate digital models of my site installations. I intentionally paint, draw, collage and fix artifacts to digital imagery producing visuals, both fluid and flexible, as well as contractable and expandable. I may present hyper-real visual effects that seem strangely distorted upon first glance. These visual effects invite a continued meditation and intentionally draw the eye to the dynamic spaces that may be unnoticeable at first sight. It is these intricacies, perspectives, and designs inherent in the natural world that I find meaningful to experience through a practice of art-making.