Terence Marner's Studio Visit
www.terencemarner.com
EIGHT RED TRUNKS by Terence Marner, Acrylic on Canvas, 24x36 in, 2005. This painting recently sold to a Swiss Collector.
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Terence MarnerTerence Marner graduated with a degree in Fine Arts from King’s College, University of Durham, England in 1959. He studied under Victor Pasmore and Richard Hamilton, leaders in the Constructed Abstract Art movement of the 1950‘s. In 1959, his artwork toured nationally with “Six Young Contemporaries” chosen by the Arts Council of Great Britain. The Drian Gallery in London exhibited Marner’s graduating portfolio, influenced by both expressionist painters and the Bauhaus movement.
Marner completed graduate work at the London Film School in 1972. His two books on film are available in six languages. While teaching at New York University in 1984, he discovered the computer as a creative tool. The pioneer in digital media resumed his research after returning to the Fine Art Faculty at the University of Regina. |
Two artworks completed in 2015 are below:
COMPOSITION IN YELLOW Acrylic on canvas, 36x36 in, 2015.
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COMPOSITION WITH SIX VARIATIONS Acrylic on canvas, 36x36 in, 2015.
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Trudy Duivenvoorden Mitic writes a monthly column in Focus magazine called Finding Balance. She authored People in Transition, Reflections on Becoming Canadian in 2001. Terence Marner was one of the 28 immigrants she interviewed for her insightful book on Canadian newcomers. “Terry is an exuberant life-long learner,” says Trudy. “These qualities are reflected in his multi-layered, inquiring artworks.”
When the author interviewed Marner in 1998, she saw ‘rich liquid colour and thick fluid lines’ in his artwork. Fifteen years later, she notices similar saturated colours in Blue Mountain. But in Blue Petal’s #1 Trudy sees a shift: more delicate hues and translucent shapes hovering in three dimensional space. “I sense a mystical quality here,” she says, “suggesting the gossamer veil that separates the seeker from the spiritual realm.”
Trudy Duivenvoorden Mitic is drawn to Eight Red Trunks (2005) as it echoes her own love of the natural world. She recalls viewing beautiful photographs taken by Marner on his forest walks. “The forest is a mystic healing place,” she says, “that does much to counter ennui of all kinds.”
When the author interviewed Marner in 1998, she saw ‘rich liquid colour and thick fluid lines’ in his artwork. Fifteen years later, she notices similar saturated colours in Blue Mountain. But in Blue Petal’s #1 Trudy sees a shift: more delicate hues and translucent shapes hovering in three dimensional space. “I sense a mystical quality here,” she says, “suggesting the gossamer veil that separates the seeker from the spiritual realm.”
Trudy Duivenvoorden Mitic is drawn to Eight Red Trunks (2005) as it echoes her own love of the natural world. She recalls viewing beautiful photographs taken by Marner on his forest walks. “The forest is a mystic healing place,” she says, “that does much to counter ennui of all kinds.”
Marner’s current studio work is an exciting synthesis of his painting, photography and film expertise. He views his non-objective creations as a form of meditation. The form, light and texture of forest environments informs and inspires the artist. His spiritual journey reflects a multi-faith and humanist sensibility.
BYZANTIUM by Terence Marner,
Pigmented Ink on Canvas, 24x24 in, 2012.
* Winner of “Best Work on Paper or Under Glass” at Sidney Fine Art Show, Oct 2012.
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David Goatley is an award winning portrait painter with a large portfolio of leading figures in the arts, business and politics. For David, each portrait is a fresh journey and each subject a unique and worthy individual. www.davidgoatley.com As one of three jurors in the Sidney Fine Art Show, Goatley was drawn to the mandala-like qualities in Byzantium. “There is a depth and complexity to this meditative image that invites repeated viewing,” he says. Studying this webpage, David Goatley comments on Marner’s consistent vision explored through many media and methods. Using nature as a starting point, Marner makes pure abstractions with a clear understanding of colour theory and composition, he notes. “This is a fine body of work that spans several decades.” |
WINTER MOONS by Terence Marner, Acrylic on Canvas,30x40 in, 2013.
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John Kissick is Director of the School of Fine Art and Music, at the University of Guelph. www.johnkissick.ca. He met with Terence Marner last summer in Guelph. The director respects Marner’s life-long commitment to art and admires his quest to find a personal voice within formal abstraction. “Terry is able to create a degree of luminosity,” Kissick says, “that moves the work from formal design to a more contemplative sphere.” The British tradition of Constructed Abstract Art that birthed Marner runs like a memory trace through his works, Kissick explains. “Still they are contemporary and inventive in both gesture and colour.” |
Terence Marner in his studio January 2015
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COUNTERPOINT ONE, Relief construction in cedar and birch with acrylic, 16x16 in, 2014
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SHORELINE Relief Construction in cedar and birch, 16X16 in, 2014.
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Sandra Fraser is Associate Curator at the Mendel Art Gallery in Saskatoon. One of three jurors at the Sidney Fine Art Show, she saw over 1000 works on the first day. What stood out in Marner’s digitally created work? “I saw many competent photos,” she says, “but was struck by the playful and experimental quality of Byzantium.” Many photographers do minimal editing with their formal shots, she notes, whereas Terry immerses himself in the process and pushes boundaries.
CYPRESS HILLS WINTER Acrylic on Canvas, 48x48 in, 1998.
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COMPOSITION 1978,
Acrylic on Canvas, 36x36 in.
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DAWN Pigmented Ink on Canvas, 24x24 in, 2013
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Dr. Erica Dodd taught Islamic Art and Architecture at the University of Victoria until 1989. Both Dodd and Marner are Professors Emeriti at UVic’s Centre for the Studies of Religion and Society.
“Terry’s artwork is magnificent,” she says, “his lively imagination and variety of styles is ever-evolving.” “When I began to work with computers in 1984,” says Marner, “ I wanted to produce images that were aesthetically analogous to my acrylic paintings.” He believes that the computer is a tool, like a brush or pencil, that facilitates his unique artistic vision. “I marvel at the myriad colours and patterns on the screen,” he says, “and enjoy manipulating the images to create painterly effects.” |
Terence Marner in studio January, 2015
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Marner’s artistic vision involves the transformation of images he receives from the natural world. “I look and absorb colours, forms and textures in my environment,” he says. “then find myself in the reshaping of these essential elements.” Marner’s quest for spiritual connection and metaphysical meaning is in tune with many abstract painters from the last century, including Mondrian, Kandinsky, and Mark Rothko.
Currently, explains Marner, abstract painting is often viewed as an intellectual and secular activity. But it’s roots can be traced to the concept that geometric forms elicit and encourage spiritual evolution. |