Marnie Wark

Resembling umbilical cords filled with the most vibrant colours, Marnie Wark’s acrylic works bend and curve. In our latest spotlight, Marnie tells us about her plans for outdoor works, and her personal highlights of 2016.

Q: Hello Marnie! Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

A: Hello, I am  41 year old abstract painter. I live with my husband and two children in the Barossa, South Australia. We have been in the Barossa for 18 months, prior to this we lived in regional Victoria on an isolated sheep and cattle station.

I love regional Australia but every now and then I need the “yang” of a big city.

Blossom, acrylic on canvas, 100 cm x 100 cm, 2016.

Q: Who inspires you? What inspires your art?

A: I draw inspiration from a broad range of things. Music and the Australian landscape are two big influences in my work. As I get older, I am increasingly interested in the impact of large scale artworks. I am now also looking to cityscapes for inspiration. The scale of advertising billboards and the patterns in street art interest me.

Q: Do you have a preferred medium?

A: For more traditional works, acrylic on canvas is my preferred medium, but as my interest in large, outdoor murals grow, I am also enjoying using house hold paint and aerosol cans.

Petrichor, the Smell of Rain, acrylic on canvas, 110 cm x 170 cm, 2016.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Abstract curves which are used to try and convey a spirit of space.

Q: Can you please describe your artistic and creative process i.e.: from lingering idea to putting it into practice?

A: I just start. I do not believe there is such a thing as waiting for inspiration. For me, inspiration comes once I start putting paint on canvas. I am not attached to the outcome of my work. It is all about the process.

However if I am painting an outdoor mural, due to the scale, I will take a photo of the wall, print the photo out and then loosely plan the path that my curved bands will travel onto the image the photo, but even then this is never set in stone.

Marnie’s studio

Q: Where do you see your art practice taking you in the next five years?

A: I am keen to focus on large scale outdoor commissions. I love the physical nature of larger scale works although this is still relatively new to me and I am loving the learning process and the power that my work has when viewed on a two-storey building.

Q: If you could recommend one artist, who would it be?

A: At the moment I am enjoying the work of street artist, Tristan Kerr. His work is graphic, large and colourful.

Marnie’s Cold Kink at Peter Walker Fine Art Gallery in Walkerville

Q: What is your favourite gallery?

A: The Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice. I love the intimacy of this gallery and the integration of the sculptures in the outdoor spaces.

Q: Where can we find more of your work?

A: I am currently trying to secure some outdoor wall commissions in my home region, the Barossa, as well as interstate. I will also continue to provide Peter Walker Fine Art Gallery with new works. Online, you can find me on Instagram, Facebook, and my website.

Marnie with the building she painted

Q: What was the best and worst thing about 2016?

A: The best thing about 2016 was feeling happily settled with my husband and family in the Barossa (after a decade living in regional Victoria). The worst thing about 2016 was the sudden and tragic death of a treasured girlfriend.

– Masya Zabidi