Whether exploring geometric shapes, portraying the human form, or interpreting lush landscapes, Bruce Marion’s lyrical coloration and dramatic use of light and shadow, characterized by his distinctive “inner glow,” seem to illuminate his subjects from their souls.
“I believe we’re all on a path or journey, whether to a physical, spiritual, or emotional place. My paintings depict these paths, delving into the interior realms of emotions, fears, and passions, and exploring the exterior realm through the filtered vision of memory.” In his abstract work, he’s exploring those inner landscapes: “I see life as very cyclical in nature; my relationships, personal growth, and patterns of existence all seem in continual rotation through my days and deliberations.” The circle serves as metaphor for these cycles.
In his figurative work, and in the landscapes of the Vista Series, feelings and sensations color the canvases more than actual people and places. “I don’t so much seek to portray a specific locale, as to capture a sensory memory of it- as though a camera somehow photographed a space as seen through my emotions.”
In all of his work, Marion strives to reflect the inner light playing against the exterior reality, delving into the intersection of inner verses outer spaces. Long a student of the Martial Arts, Marion believes in the chi of inanimate objects, and seeks to “discover” the form and energy of his subjects from within his canvas, rather than to paint them from without. Thus, each piece begins not from a blank canvas, but from a frenetic and wildly colorful abstract under-painting. Then, like a sculptor chipping away at a stone, Marion seeks his subject by selectively subtracting information from the canvas before him.
Marion received his BFA from the prestigious Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, where he studied with world-renowned artist Pat Nagel, and Lorser Feitelson, the father of Post-Surrealism. He has taught at the Otis Parsons Institute of Art in Los Angeles, as well as privately, and recently received a grant to implement a month-long art program in the Spring of 2011 for Arizona elementary school students. His artwork is represented by many fine galleries throughout the country, where he has had multiple one-man and group shows. He recently completed a major public commission for Sam Houston State University in Texas. His work is published worldwide by Editions Limited.
