marietta leis

Poem Published

admin — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 13:00:34 +0000

Quietness/oil/canvas/48” sq.

Such gratifying news to share! An anthology of poetry, Fixed and Free (available at Amazon), has included my poem Blue written for my paintings the Blue Series. The color blue has been a large part of my work since 2001 after an Artist-in- Residence at Crater Lake, OR. Being in such close proximity to the deep blueness of that Lake every day set in motion a dialogue with the color blue for a long time and is still part of my studio and life experience. My work very much focus’ on color contemplating how it impacts our culture. It is a ‘blue and green’ planet that we inhabit.

Poems flow from my artwork. Text plates of poetry accompanied my Marietta Robusti Tintoretto series, Blue has appeared with my exhibits of blue work and presently 5 text plates are showing with my GREEN exhibit. Which comes first I don’t know. But come they do! I hope you have a chance to experience my poems.

GREEN until February 25th

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:45:09 +0000

My multimedia exhibition of Green: a paradox of abundance and scarcity will be exhibiting until February 25 at the Fort Worth Community Arts Center, TX. It is so gratifying to see this work exhibited in their beautiful space and to have it seen by their large and enthusiastic audience.

Green is an exhibit inspired by my Artist residency in Thailand. It is made up of several components: five written text plates of poems, 16 Vapors which are beeswax sculptures made as Thai wrapped food but hollow, Seeds which are 27 paintings on paper on wood, and 18 photos. There are also four videos.

While embraced by the abundance of vegetation and food in Thailand I became acutely aware of the paradox—the deprivation in the surrounding countries of Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. The inequality of sharing the earth’s bounty seems senseless and immoral to me. Also the abuse of our planet by its human inhabitants endangers all the living things I was witness to.

This paradox produced poignant reflections that are expressed in this work… the ‘Beauty and the Beast’ so to speak. The beauty draws you to contemplate the fragility of the earth’s bounty, and thus it’s people’s, condition.

http://www.fwcac.com/?exhibitions

“GREEN” Exhibits in Fort Worth Now!

admin — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 22:17:46 +0000

I’m excited to share these photos with you of the inaugural exhibit of GREEN: a paradox of abundance and scarcity. Our experience at The Fort Worth Community Art Center was terrific. The building and grounds were the former Modern Museum and a wonderful setting. It took my husband David and I, with some great help, 3 days to install the art. It’s complex because there are 67 pieces to install mostly in groupings that can’t be choreographed until you’re actually in the space. The result was worth the work, as you will see from the photos.

There are 9 gallery spaces in the Center all having openings the same night as ours so you can imagine we had quite a crowd. The audience was very responsive, studying the work carefully, reading the poetry, looking at the videos and taking in the entire installation while asking questions and reflecting. I believe a lot of the viewers left thinking about the complexity and inequities of ‘abundance and scarcity’.

I want to thank again all the backers that pledged so generously to the Kickstarter.com funding campaign to ‘kick’ off the tour of this exhibit. Remember this exhibit will be showing until February 25^thin case you’re in the neighborhood. http://www.fwcac.com/?exhibition_detail/1966

Green Opens in Ft. Worth

admin — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 13:00:40 +0000

My multimedia exhibition of Green: a paradox of abundance and scarcity will be exhibiting Friday January 6 – February 25 at the Fort Worth Community Arts Center. There will be an opening reception Friday January 6, 6–9 PM. It will be so gratifying to see this work exhibited in their great space and to have it seen by their large and enthusiastic audience.

Green is an exhibit inspired by my Artist residency in Thailand. It is made up of several components: five written text plates of poems (example below), 16 Vapors which are beeswax sculptures made as Thai wrapped food but hollow, Seeds which are 27 paintings on paper on wood, and 18 photos. There are also four videos.

http://www.fwcac.com/?exhibitions/future_exhibition

It is with gratitude that I tell you that people from 4 countries, 10 states, and 23 cities responded to this as a Kickstarter.com project and made it possible for this exhibit to be shipped to FWCAC. I thank one and all for their much appreciated support.

GREEN

Look beyond the concrete and black top

Unlock your memories

and look to the original world

See GREEN the vibrant color

of Earth still living

in generous abundance

Trees and plants in silence grow

bringing forth their splendor

for our wordless wonder

We linger with you amongst Earth’s soil

not wanting to be apart

from your green caress

But careless not seeing

the bounty brought forth

has estranged us

Shall we not know the earth

for we are tree and fruit

and vegetable ourselves

Are we divorced from our family

unconnected, orphaned and lost

with limbs torn off

Where will sustenance

and refuge come

without the mother of green hair and dress

GREEN is Kicking with a Matching Pledge Offer

admin — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 19:51:59 +0000

GREEN: the paradox of abundance and scarcity is my multimedia exhibition that I described in the earlier post. It was accepted as a KICKSTARTER project for a funding campaign and was posted earlier this month on their website, http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/439564676/green-a-paradox-of-abundance-and-scarcity.

We need funding for the crating and shipping of the exhibit to get to the non-profit venues that have been booking GREEN. People have responded by pledging and as of today 12/21 we are 60% to our asking amount of $3200. With Kickstarter, projects are only awarded funding if they raise the entire amount and our deadline is 1/5 at 12N.

Heads up art lovers this week we are announcing a Matching Pledge. If we raise $300. between December 22-28 a supporter will match it with another $300. That would be fantastic rock us to our goal.

I think we will succeed in our funding quest but the real joy of this Kickstarter venture has been the affirmation and support my work and I have received and the GREEN team that has organically formed from that collective support. Thank you one and all if you have joined the GREEN team by pledging!

Kickstart Green

admin — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 07:25:05 +0000

Kickstarter: Guess what you can find me pitching my multimedia project, Green, a paradox of abundance and scarcity on Kickstarter, a great website that helps people with projects to get funding.

I have initiated what I hope will be a 3-year traveling exhibit called Green, a paradox of abundance and scarcity which will be opening January at the Fort Worth Arts Center, TX. Rather than the typical art exhibit that is intended to sell work, my intention for Green is to tour non-profit community art centers, universities & colleges for the purpose of educating and exposing folks from around the country to the issues surrounding scarcity amidst abundance. Unfortunately all of these exhibit venues are experiencing severe budget cuts due to current economic conditions. As a result they are no longer able to pay for crating and shipping of my work despite the fact they are VERY interested in participating with me on this project.

As a result I have launched a Kickstarter project that I think you might find fun, interesting and hopefully worth collaborating in with me. If you are not familiar with Kickstarter you might get a “kick” out of checking out their website which is dedicated to helping artists, inventors, and other creative types get their projects funded. I am really excited about the reception this work has received from curators around the country and I am hoping that you might help me pay for the crating and shipping of this multi-media exhibit. All of the proceeds will be devoted to these out-of-pocket expenses. None of the funds raised will go to me personally.

I need your help to get this exhibit seen, hopefully in as many venues as possible. I would love for you to become my partner in this exciting traveling exhibit and will send you a gift if you can see your way clear to participate with me. Check out the link below and please pass this along to everyone you think might be interested.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/439564676/green-a-paradox-of-abundance-and-scarcity

Thanks a bunch for considering this partnership with me.

The Harwood 12×12

admin — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:00:59 +0000

The Harwood 12×12 fund raiser in Albuquerque is on Friday, December 2. Each year Harwood Art Center asks artists to support the work that Harwood does in the community. They expect as many as 150 artists to donate their incredible works of art. Yes I will have a piece there! Each submission is anonymous until purchased. Last year so many artists stepped up to help that this year they’ve had to go by invitation only. Go and buy an amazing piece of 12” x 12” art. http://harwoodartcenter.org/ss/

ComPeung-Revisited

admin — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:00:26 +0000

There will be a group exhibition entitled, ComPeung-Revisited, curated by Helen Michaelsen and Ong at the Chiang Mai City Arts and Cultural Center, Thailand, December 2-29. Leis will be exhibiting a collaborative piece with David Vogel. To be included in the exhibit is Thai Reflections (below), an archival ink print of Leis’ pen and ink night drawings and Vogel’s water photographs. A catalog will be produced and available in May 2012. The curators are also the co-directors of the ComPeung Artist Residency in Doi Saket, Thailand. www.compeung.org

UNM Arts Management

admin — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 15:00:35 +0000

I have been asked by Regina Chavez, Director of Creative Albuquerque, www.creativeabq.org/, to speak to her Arts Management class for arts majors at the University of New Mexico on November 15th. This is great; 1. I love to talk to young people; 2. I have the perspective of a 30+ year career; and 3. Young people need to hear what a career in the arts consists of namely: perseverance, perfecting your trade through a professional studio practice, a healthy stamina, luck, developing relationships, innovation, the need to do it and learning to live frugally. In today’s world these are traits for all professions but even more so for people pursuing the arts. Let’s begin…

Creative Conversation

admin — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 15:00:48 +0000

A ‘conversation’ was held at my studio sponsored by Creative Albuquerque www.creativeabq.org/ on November 10. This group meets to discuss a topic and that afternoon they wanted to chat with David (my husband) and me about our experience at the Artist Residency in Finland this past summer and also about our travels and my residencies in general. Boy did we have a lot of sharing to do.

The email announcement is below:

Creative Conversations: Round the World with Marietta Leis and David Vogel is next Thursday, November 10 at 5:00p, at Marietta’s beautiful studio. Over cocktail hour, the dynamic duo will share stories and images from a recent artist residency in Finland’s Arctic Circle, as well as other travels.