Marianne Post, pastel artist
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If you are like me, art is a passion. You love to visit galleries and studios, You love to see it on your walls. You explore its history, read about the artists of the past, and meet and mingle with those in the present. You are fascinated with what goes into creating art, the inspiration, the process and the materials. And you may even love to create it. Sound familiar?
Sense of design and master of technique are two important elements of a successful painting. Artist, Marianne Post has melded her life experiences into the colorful pastels she paints. Post, by all rights, has the credentials of a city girl. A third generation native San Franciscan, she was surrounded by urban influences, tall skyscrapers, city parks, museums and theaters. Like many artists her love for art began early in life. As a child, she vividly recalls being encouraged to be creative. She left San Francisco to attend the University of California, Davis campus, with a veterinary medicine degree in mind. But her interest in art upstaged her initial career path and she graduated with a degree in Environmental Design. She returned to San Francisco to begin a successful design career that in later years took her to San Diego and ultimately back to the University of California where she held the position of principal artist for over a decade. In 2010, she moved permanently to the beautiful Willamette Valley in central Oregon. “I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have an “art project” on the kitchen table or on an easel. Whether it was painting or drawing as a child, studying art and design in college, or working as a designer, illustrator, and art instructor the need to express my creative side has been a life long endeavor, and a journey of self discovery.” This journey has taken her to some of the most scenic places on the west coast. “I’ve always loved being outdoors. Though I grew up in San Francisco I always had an affinity for being out in nature. My husband and I backpacked regularly while in college. When we were first married we would visit Yosemite National Park every other weekend to either ski tour or hike. We were and still are avid hikers, clocking miles on trails in the Sierras, the Cascades, and at western seashores. I guess that’s why when I was first introduced to plein air painting, it was the perfect combination of my two passions, art and nature.” Her husband is an avid angler. And while he chases Rainbows or German Browns, you can usually find Marianne on the banks of Oregon rivers with her easel and plein air palette of soft pastels. “I am fascinated with the patterns of light and the endless color variations found in the rivers, streams and ocean. It’s so easy to become blind to the incredible beauty and consequence of ordinary things. Painting affords me the opportunity to reacquaint myself and the viewer with nature’s generosity.” Her award winning work is in several private and public collections across the United States, has appeared in several juried exhibitions, and in Capturing Radiant Light & Color in Oils and Soft Pastels, published by North Light Books, 2007. Marianne has made several appearances on public tv to talk about her art and her approach to painting. She is a signature member of the Northwest Pastel Society, a member of Philomath Open Studios Tour in Oregon and is represented by Primary Elements Gallery in Cannon Beach. |