Marie Cummings

Artist Statement

I was first inspired to create mixed media works on paper and illustration board after taking a workshop during which the instructor incorporated symbols and cutout paper dolls, the kind that children make, into her artwork.

Later, as I was in my studio working on a painting, I remembered the paper dolls and thought of own much I appreciate people, their unique and individual thoughts and feelings. We are not at all like paper dolls on the inside (though we may resemble each other on the outside) and yet, at the same time, we are all one. Pondering this paradox, I cut some paper dolls from a comic strip and collaged them into the first painting.

I see life as multi faceted, richly textured and complex and my art reflects that perception. I paint with water media and use gesso, gel, and tissue paper to create the textures on which I apply my paints in successive layers. I utilize unusual materials as stencils for the pigments, onion bags, cardboard, bubble wrap and stamps, among other things.

The artwork is contemplative in that it is derived from internal inspiration rather than tangible subject matter. There are no mistakes in my work; each painting is a process, a new experience from which I can learn. With each piece, I try to stretch myself beyond my comfort level and reach for the unknown.

Ultimately, I hope viewers feel this expressive freedom when they see my work. I want people to delight in the colors and whimsy, to experience a sense of happiness, to enjoy this reminder of what it means to be alive.

Biography

Marie Cummings was born in Detroit, Michigan. There she studied psychology and business at Wayne State University. She moved to Clearwater, Florida with her three daughters, where she embarked on a career as a Realtor. When her last daughter entered college, Marie decided to seek a new direction in her life: she wanted to explore the world of visual art. While studying Experimental Watermedia at the Dunedin Fine Arts Center (Dunedin, Florida), she also ventured into Creative Writing at St. Petersburg College (St. Petersburg, Florida). This dual experience served as a launching pad for a serious embrace of fine art from an outside-the-box viewpoint.

Since that time, Marie has focused on the creative potential of Watermedia. She finds deep, rich, bold hues intensely exciting. Marie thinks of her palette, brushes and paper as tools for play. Water and paint dance together in her studio, making forms that spark the imagination and speak to the heart. Her work is a form of meditation, an expression of her soul.

Before moving to New York, Marie taught Experimental Watermedia at the Dunedin Fine Arts Center the same course that first inspired her to take the leap into the world of art. She also enjoys teaching watercolor classes for adults who are beginning to dip their toes in the wellspring of their own creative resources. She takes a relaxed yet encouraging approach to instruction, giving her students the time, space and gentle guidance necessary to grow as artists.

Upstate New York was Marie's home for thirteen years. She continued teaching art both locally and internationally. She returned to St. Petersburg after deciding that she had enough of the long cold winters.

Marie is a signature member of the Florida Watercolor Society, the National Association of Women Artists, (New York, NY) SLMM, Society of Layerists in Multimedia, International Society of Experimental Artists, Tallahassee Watercolor Society and Watercolor USA Honor Society. Her works are in numerous private and public collections.

Exhibition History (CV)