Marianne Weeks
Artist Bio
Marianne was born in Nova Scotia in 1955, but lived in Ottawa from 1963 until 2015, when she returned to her native province. Although creative in other fields throughout her life, she starting doing art in her forties. Sculpture and ceramics were her first endeavours, taking classes with Jim Thomson at The Ottawa School of Art in the 90's. Over the years she took several introductory classes at The Ottawa School of Art, Nepean Creative Arts Centre and from several local teachers, in drawing, mixed media, painting etc. She was accepted in a summer program at Nova Scotia School of Art and Design in 2000. Often learning the basics was all she needed as she is predominantly self taught in many areas. Always driven by process, she is continually exploring new mediums. She has exhibited in several juried shows in the City of Ottawa Public Galleries, private commercial galleries, and yearly shows in Nova Scotia since 2007. Marianne was a member of The Ottawa Mixed Media Association and participated in their shows. In 2010 she was selected through a juried process, as one of five artists to occupy a new City of Ottawa Studio Rental Program space at Brittania Beach. In 2012 she moved into a new studio in The Standard Bread Building, becoming a member of The Loft Artists Studios. She relocated to Port Medway Nova Scotia in the summer of 2015 and now works from home. She works in a wide variety of mediums including oils, cold wax, acrylics, pastels and fibre arts. She currently also teaches fibre arts at a centre for intellectually challenged adults.
Artist Statement
Challenging myself with new materials has always been forefront in my art practise, so I consider myself more of a process painter. I love trying new things. These particular pieces are part of a series I did last summer and my first foray into cold wax and oil. I've used oil for years so this new addition was exciting. Unlike encaustic, there is no application of heat in cold wax and oil. Using cold wax and other mediums such as galkyd gel, allows the oil paint to dry faster and gives it a more impasto quality. I also use oil sticks and oil bars. All of these materials allow the surface to be scraped-into or sanded or texturized by pressing various things into it. It can have a transparent or an opaque nature depending on the application. These particular pieces were layered and sanded and scratched and scraped. The images are memories, pared down, of shapes that are common to the place I live...harbour markers, vertebrae of sea creatures, tangles of fishing lines and ropes, lobster traps, the fog and then the brilliant sunshine mirrored by the sea, and the vessels. The tactility and sculptural quality of this medium lends itself to being worked. I also use graphite powder and then the final step is to buff the surface to a lovely soft satin patina. They are particularly lovely to feel. The other pieces in this series were larger and formed a grid of smaller images much like these. Cold wax and oil is generally applied to a solid surface such as cradled wood in order to give it the strength to be worked heavily. Looking closely one can see the physicality of the piece while the softness of the wax process remains.
Beneath
Oil, Cold Wax, Acrylic, Graphite-
Powder on Cradled Wood
9" x 12"
$325
SOLD
Marker Vertebra Tangle Trap Shine FloatOil, Cold Wax, Graphite Powder on Cradled Wood
8" x 8" Unjoined pieces, can be hung vertically, horizontally…
$600
SOLD
Night Paddle
Oil, Wax, Graphite Powder on Cradled Wood
8" x 10"
$300
SOLD
Introducing Me