”Dayspring” by Shawn Marshall, Oil on canvas, 24x36in, 2019
Shawn Marshall’s most recent Artist’s Statement reads:
”Painting is somewhat of a meditative practice for me; it's an outlet to release intuitive energy and let go of preconceived notions or self-imposed rules about how I interpret and portray the world. My focus on the landscape comes from a fascination with the horizon. As a "third culture kid," I grew up overseas moving often. One of the places my family lived was Beirut, Lebanon in the midst of the civil war in the 70’s. I saw violence and lived in fear. The one thing that appeared to remain peaceful was the landscape, specifically the horizon. The landscape is still an escape for me and the horizon continues to bring hope.”
The words explain Marshall’s continued fascination with the almost empty landscape; it is iconic, and almost sacred for her. This sense of spirituality in landscape as subject is not unusual, but Marshall’s focus on the vanishing point is unique. Specific details of location and season are less important, even when present, than isolating the mirage of a point where land and sky join. Is it the suggestion of wholeness in nature and the universe in general that Marshall find so compelling; that there is always hope somewhere, even if it is not immediately within reach?
”Vivid Sky” by Shawn Marshall, Oil on canvas, 12x12in, 2019
Marshall has pushed her landscapes into abstraction for quite awhile, and while these newest paintings are far from naturalistic, there is spontaneity in the brushwork that is a departure. In “Vivid Sky” there is a sense of urgency to the mark making, as if the artist was racing against time to complete the composition.
Marshall’s work is in numerous private collections including PNC Bank, Pittsburgh, PA, Commonwealth Bank, Louisville, KY, and the University of Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington, KY.
Recent Exhibitions:
February-March 2019 “Fresh Paint” - New Artists - Moremen Gallery, Louisville, KY
2018 Open Studio Weekend Juried Exhibition - Cressman Center for Visual Arts, Louisville, KY
Louisville Visual Art Juried Art Exhibition, 2018 Portland Art & Heritage Fair, Louisville, KY
Photo: Jessica Ebelhar
Marshall is a member of ENID, a collective of women sculptors named in honor of Enid Yandell. In recognition of her 150th birthday the group will have not one but TWO exhibits this fall:
ENID: Generations of Women Sculptors at the Louisville Free Public Library August 17 through October 8, 2019
ENID: Generations of Women Sculptors at Bellarmine University’s McGrath Gallery, September 7 through October 5, 2019.
Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Education: 1992, Bachelor of Architecture, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY; 1996, Master of Architecture, Minor Fine Arts, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY; 2009, Master of Art in Teaching, Bellarmine University, Louisville, KY
Website: www.shawnlmarshall.com
Gallery Representation:
Moremen Contemporary (Louisville) www.moremengallery.com
New Editions Gallery (Lexington),www.neweditionsgallery.com
Scroll down for more images
”Summer Dream” by Shawn Marshall, Oil on canvas, 12x12in, 2019
”Stirring Sky” by Shawn Marshall, Oil on canvas, 24x24in, 2019
”February Mist” by Shawn Marshall, Oil on canvas, 36x36in, 2019
Written by Keith Waits. Entire contents copyright © 2018 Louisville Visual Art. All rights reserved. In addition to his work at the LVA, Keith is also the Managing Editor of a website, Arts-Louisville.com, which covers local visual arts, theatre, and music in Louisville.
