MICHELLE MARRA

As far back as I can remember I had a paintbrush in my hand. My mother recognized my obsession and enrolled me in private art lessons throughout my childhood into high school. Art took a back seat while making a career and then a family. I took up my brush in earnest in 2010 and I started working in oils and realism but knew I was missing something. Taking an acrylic and abstract painting workshop in 2012 changed my focus as it allowed me to give a visual voice to my inner world. I see in swaths of color and light.

Painting has become my meditation set into motion. I allow the colors and the initial marks to take me to the next step. It can be a complete joy and a complete challenge at the same time. I often say a bad day painting is better than a day of not painting at all!

American abstract painter, Michelle Marra describes herself as a “spirited colorist,” a perfect expression of the high level of emotion, energy, and luminosity she imbues into her paintings. In some of her series, such as Bold and Beautiful and Abstracted Blooms, she layers her acrylic paint into thick, impasto surfaces, which contrast beautifully with her lyrical, gestural brush marks, creating an interplay of seriousness and whimsy. The biomorphic forms and lush color relationships in these paintings are grounded in the natural world, evoking images of wildflower gardens and tangled jungle landscapes. Other series, such as Crossroads, suggests the artist’s penchant for pure abstraction, demonstrating her instincts for capturing the interplay of light and shadow, and her clear love for paint. “Color is what really excited me,” Marra has said. “I like to end up with a piece that has feeling and that other people find exciting.” Michelle has exhibited her works extensively throughout the United States and has been an Artist in Residence at the Jamestown Art Center and the Atlantic Center for the Arts, among others. She lives and works in Florida, Connecticut, and North Carolina.

WORKS