We, as a species, seek purpose. We see something abstract and strive to attribute meaning. We tell stories, we ascribe to symbolism.
In this, we are creators of art in multiple mediums. Sound, color, dance and even the written word are all forms of self-expression and consumed by others of our species.
Marisa White was an art student.
She studied drawing and painting in college and although she strove to paint realism, she struggled. It was a mixed media collage with photos that released that need for realism while also applying her own personal vision of art. Photography resonated with her; but perhaps not in the traditional sense.
She was attending Rocky Mountain School of Photography in 2012 when she was introduced to Photoshop.
White had always found herself drawn to works of surrealism. “Their use of symbolism, strange juxtapositions and transmutable forms were mesmerizing and I tried to emulate that as much as possible,” she muses. Between her love of realism in combination with the narrative that surrealism offered, White found a medium that gave her the opportunity to put the story in her head down on paper. “These early works told stories of my heritage, a family member’s struggle with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and memories of my childhood,” she remembers.
Touring her studio, there are plenty of pieces that beg to have their story told. When asked if her works come with the story behind them, she smiled before indirectly answering the question. She stated that interpreting visual art is akin to listing to music. A particular song might speak to a person at a specific time in life. There is a connection that is forged. Then, perhaps the listener hears the true meaning of that song later in life and the connection wanes.
That connection is the magic of art.
White indicates that her art is about telling a story but also about narrating a shared experience. At certain gallery showings, she details the opportunity to hear other’s interpretation of her pieces. Although they might not be in line with the original meaning of the piece, it resonates with the viewer and can forge a connection and visually narrate an abstract life experience.
She looks forward to her next gallery showing at Kreuser Gallery in November 2022. She notes that she will be unveiling three new pieces during that time in a collection titled “Certain These Clouds Go Somewhere.”
Website: https://www.marisaswhite.com/
Facebook: @whitesparksphotography
Instagram: @marisa_whitesparks