We’re all on a path or journey, whether to a physical, spiritual, or emotional place. Artist Bruce Marion’s paintings explore the landscapes of personal growth, capturing the emotional content and courage of our private journeys, and the triumph of our arrivals. “I want to represent the blinding truth of those ‘Aha Moments’ of true insight as well as the confusion and uncertainty we all experience along our paths,” says Marion.
The circle as metaphor has been a presence in Marion’s paintings for many years. “It’s elemental,” he says, “Almost primal. It represents our journeys and our lessons that keep coming back around. I like the fact that no single point on a circle is more important than any other point. Every point on the path is an equally important part of the journey. Whether we think of it as a good or bad experience, it’s all helping us to our destination.”
Expressing this intricacy and depth on canvas involves creating multiple layers of images. To this end, Marion begins each piece with a very vivid and energetic palette knife composition, with thick swirls and streaks of saturated color slashed across the canvas. Marion then layers coat upon coat of sheer glazes over this base, creating a delicate balance between what is hidden and what is allowed to bleed through. “This gives it subtext. Just like in life,” says the artist, “the most interesting stuff is what’s below the surface. That’s where I want my paintings to resonate.”
