Lakewood Gallery & Framing - Art, Paintings, Prints, Frames

Mardie Rees

Artist Statement
My work explores the human process of emotion. I capture gestures that connect the outer person with the inner self - the never ending human necessity... the thirst for connection to something hiding inside. This is the process that enables a soul to find the place for resolution in wholeness. These gestures contemplate the human necessity to find relationship, to resolve, to step forward, and to risk; therefore, making a milestone.
By taking the representation of the human figure and raising it to the level of intimacy, I am literally touching the untouchable... the hidden emotion. I am drawn to the primal beauty of honesty. Humanity’s desire to perservere and be refined is sprung from a place of vulnerability. I touch, shape, mold, stroke, sculpt, and cut into my own experiences... my own form... finding weakness and frailty: persed mouth, tense neck, clenched hands and searching eyes. Smaller and more detailed strokes soften these vulnerable places as I calm them; as I bring my own emotions, in time, to some sort of resolve. (Perhaps even to a place of strength). I like to capture pivotal moments in life that have the potential to impact the future. These all too common conditions bind us together as humans no matter what our race, religion or preferences. However, the process of finding wholeness cannot be shared because each of us has to walk it alone.
I sculpt in longbeach water clay shaping with my hands and chiseling with wooden tools. I like the feel of raw earth. The use of lighting, atmosphere, and simple contained shapes frame and provide context to the figure. Because the emotional dialogue is vital to my compositions, I often draw on friends and family to model the inspiration in my vision. The process of working through a piece with a person who plays a role in my life is essential to creating a work that can breathe on its own.

Approaching Storm
15x24, Oil on Canvas
$750
Tulip Fields Forever
15x22, Oil on Canvas
$750
Two Rows Left Standing
24x30 Oil on Canvas
$1000

In A Sacred Place II
7” x 3.5” Bronze Relief
$460
Mana's Hands
Bronze Relief
$420
Mother Cradles Child
Bronze Relief
$420

In My Darkest Hour
18x30 Oil on Canvas
$850

Lakewood Gallery & Framing Company
11004 Gravelly Lake Dr. SW
Lakewood, Washington 98499
253-584-1774
800-648-0772
info@lakewoodgallery.com

Artist Statement My work explores the human process of emotion. I capture gestures that connect the outer person with the inner self - the never ending human necessity... the thirst for connection to something hiding inside. This is the process that enables a soul to find the place for resolution in wholeness. These gestures contemplate the human necessity to find relationship, to resolve, to step forward, and to risk; therefore, making a milestone. By taking the representation of the human figure and raising it to the level of intimacy, I am literally touching the untouchable... the hidden emotion. I am drawn to the primal beauty of honesty. Humanity’s desire to perservere and be refined is sprung from a place of vulnerability. I touch, shape, mold, stroke, sculpt, and cut into my own experiences... my own form... finding weakness and frailty: persed mouth, tense neck, clenched hands and searching eyes. Smaller and more detailed strokes soften these vulnerable places as I calm them; as I bring my own emotions, in time, to some sort of resolve. (Perhaps even to a place of strength). I like to capture pivotal moments in life that have the potential to impact the future. These all too common conditions bind us together as humans no matter what our race, religion or preferences. However, the process of finding wholeness cannot be shared because each of us has to walk it alone. I sculpt in longbeach water clay shaping with my hands and chiseling with wooden tools. I like the feel of raw earth. The use of lighting, atmosphere, and simple contained shapes frame and provide context to the figure. Because the emotional dialogue is vital to my compositions, I often draw on friends and family to model the inspiration in my vision. The process of working through a piece with a person who plays a role in my life is essential to creating a work that can breathe on its own.
Approaching Storm 15x24, Oil on Canvas $750	Tulip Fields Forever 15x22, Oil on Canvas $750	Two Rows Left Standing 24x30 Oil on Canvas $1000
In A Sacred Place II 7” x 3.5” Bronze Relief $460	Mana's Hands Bronze Relief $420	Mother Cradles Child Bronze Relief $420
In My Darkest Hour 18x30 Oil on Canvas $850