Artmaking and Evolution – Interview with Visual Artist, Marion Grant

Marion Grant is a visual artist who’s exhibited in shows from coast to coast and is known for her surprising take on the mixed-media tradition to create incredibly organic, rich works.

I interviewed Marion Grant over a year ago. At this time, my pandemic blues was beginning to set in. I wrote the first few paragraphs and, due to my mental health, did not read a book nor write anything creative for the entirety of 2021.

Revisiting this interview of the past month has brought me incredible inspiration – I knew I had to share Marion’s inspiring process with others.

So, after holding this interview in my head alone for over a year, I finally put it on “paper” and am thrilled to share it with you now…

An Interview with Visual Artist Marion Grant

When I was first introduced to Marion Grant’s work, I was immediately struck by her beautiful use of color and texture, but what really drew me in was the sense of movement. A deeply experiential process made immediate and visceral to me as a viewer.

I learned that the artmaking process goes even deeper for Marion. It’s a process closely aligned to her spiritual practice.

I’m admittedly not a spiritual person myself, but I relate deeply to how Marion characterizes her artmaking.

“I see art as a tool that allows me to keep growing and transforming”

Marion Grant

**All quotes are from my interview with Marion Grant unless otherwise noted.**

Spirituality and the Real as Ethereal

Marion has a beautiful, aspirational relationship to artmaking.

“Making art is my life’s purpose and is connected to who I am as a spiritual person. For me to be happy, I need to be connected to my work in some way. When I feel connected to my artwork, I also feel connected to a universal source: or, to put it another way, connected to my true self, as my work is tied closely to my spiritual journey. Some people find this connection through different ways such as meditation, writing or movement, but for me, I express my spirituality through my art.”

There is a nakedness to her work, a confident vulnerability, that rings true in the way she discusses the work as a way to connect to her “true self.” Unlike other artists, I don’t get the sense of Marion putting any commentary, criticism, or story onto the objects she creates. So, her comparison of her art-making to meditation resonates with my understanding of her work.

Organic Objects in Dreamscapes

The work truly illuminates the delicate beauty in organic objects. I get the sense of these worldly objects living in an ethereal yet familiar space. Her recent series Lumenesce showcases this transcendence.

And these texture-rich, ethereal works are created that way with intention in the making process, starting with her choice of material.

“A search for the ethereal is one of the reasons I have been fascinated by the transparent and translucent skins I now work with. Unlike paper and canvas, these surfaces, even by themselves, evoke a sense of otherworldliness. Embedding images in the surfaces greatly enhances this effect and adds an abstract and dream-like quality.”

Color and Movement

Giving these ethereal objects movement is what gives this series life.

“As the name Lumenesce suggests, light appears to radiate from the images, transporting the viewer into the realm of the surreal. Since the skins are comprised of built-up layers of liquid acrylic gels, the artistic composition is activated through the layers, adding a sense of movement and allowing the work to take on a life of its own.”

The colors Marion uses are truly breathtaking. Her use of color doesn’t map succinctly to the work’s intention in the same way the use of materials does, but echoes her initial description of art as an expression of her true self.

“Color innately expresses feelings and emotions. I’m unable to break down my own process of working with color because it is mostly intuitive.”

I aspire to this balanced approach of intention versus intuition. I love the detailed thought Marion gives to her work while allowing the process to surprise her. Almost as if she’s collaborating with the work rather than controlling the work and its outcomes.

Art as a Tool for Growth and Transformation

Marion fully embraces art as process; not only as the artmaking as process, but also as the artmaking as a part the process of her own growth.

“Since I see art as a tool that allows me to keep growing and transforming, it is a visual meditation and improves my own spiritual development.”

By embracing the process, Marion allows the process and work to surprise her, creating more opportunities for growth and deepening a collaborative relationship with her work.

“By remaining open to new possibilities and listening to the work rather than forcing it in a certain direction, I am able to cultivate an organic flow of exploration and spontaneity, rather than follow a preplanned path. Listening to music can at times invigorate me and also helps inspire a flow, joy and openness to the process. Something may happen while I’m working; maybe I’ll make a mistake, which will give me a new idea. Staying open to those moments and letting them take me to someplace new is what excites me. I am energized by these glimpses of discovery.”

Ritual Creates Opportunities for Spontaneity

Understanding Marion’s work as a spiritual practice and expression, naturally I was curious if her process was somehow ritualized.

To my surprise, aside from a personal meditation practice, there is no set ritual that goes into Marion’s artmaking.

“That being said, I do have a goal of setting a schedule every day to spend time in the studio. If successful, this would become a ritual. Ideally, I would do yoga and meditation after breakfast and then commit to a few hours in the studio at the same time every day. My goal is to not allow any issues or obligations interfere with that sacred time! If able to achieve this, I believe it would greatly increase my inspiration and productivity.”

Having conducted the interview well over a year ago now, I wonder if Marion has achieved this ritual or if she’s finding her natural, improvisational approach to continue to benefit her work.

Whether that space has been carved in stone or not, there is a spontaneity inherent in Marion’s work that appears intrinsic to her being and thus her work. It’s this sense of spontaneity that lends to the organic nature of her finished “product,” almost as if the work is accidental.

This idea of accidental art ties back to Marion’s earlier quote about how a “mistake” might lead her to an idea.

This is a concept that intrigues me and which I aim to embrace more in my own artmaking process.

Embracing Failure

“Every stumble or setback is a stimulus to solve a problem and improve.”

Marion Grant

Marion’s collaborative approach to working with unruly materials and allowing intuition to drive much of her efforts leaves tons of room for perceived mistakes, setbacks and “failures.” However, Marion’s mindset toward failure recognizes the brevity feelings of failure are subject to – even in non-elastic mediums like the ones Marion works in.

What I mean is that, as a dancer, failure is fleeting because – unless filmed – it’s a brief moment that can be quickly forgotten by audiences (even if not by the artist themselves). And, every time I perform a work is another chance to improve upon my perceived failures.

However, Marion is working in visual art where, once a piece is done it’s finished. It’s immutable and takes on a life of its own, on its own terms.

This fact leaves me even more inspired by Marion’s acceptance of failure as part and parcel with artmaking.

“Failure promotes the development of a strong sense of dedication, resilience, tenacity and courage, enabling one to persevere and not give up.”

“When I re-evaluate something in my practice that I had not  liked previously, I may no longer regard it as a failure. Sometimes when I spend a long time  with a process, I can’t see it anymore. I just need to have some distance and maybe another  perspective to approach it in a different way.”

“Adopting a new perspective after a critical distance may allow me to realize the idea that I had  regarded as a failure provided the impetus for a new idea, which turns out to be very exciting  and rewarding!”

What a freeing perspective! My wish for all of us is to cultivate a similar outlook.

Knowing Marion’s deep ties to nature, however, helps me understand the ease with which she embraces these perceived failures.

“Transcendental beauty awaits us in nature. In my current artwork, I seek out organic forms to explore this transcendence. For example, in my new Lumenesce series, I work with flowers and these elements structure my creative process. I abstract these forms and show them in many of the developmental stages they undergo in the natural world. Nature is also a source of inspiration in terms of how I create surface textures. For example, flower petals have natural textures. I create my own sense of those textures by overlaying the petals with hand-applied pigments and iridescent accents, producing a tactile, sensory experience.”

Advice for Artists Cultivating their Voice

Marion Grant has taken her artmaking process on an extremely personal journey. Despite the spontaneous nature of her work and process, she’s also entirely confident in what matters to her, what she’s interested in, and her own intuitive decision-making.

I had to ask her how she got there and what advice she has for artists still working on cultivating their unique, artistic voice.

Here’s her advice:

“Seek out what gives you inspiration. You can find new avenues to explore just by viewing artwork  in galleries and museums and searching online. Reading and watching films about artists,  writers, actors or anyone who has had an impact on you can open up new discoveries as you  learn more about their lives and work. 

“Do things that bring you joy and activities that ground and center you. Exercising, walking,  meditating, doing yoga, spending time in nature, listening to music, dancing and journaling  are some activities that allow you to better connect with your inner self. The more centered you  are, the more you can connect to a deeper source and the more open you will be to finding your  voice. Staying open and curious are important qualities that lead to finding one’s voice. I have  always been very curious and I find others who are curious to be the most interesting people.  Being contemplative and introspective are also helpful qualities. 

“Finally, talk about your ideas with friends for feedback. Taking classes of interest and finding a  mentor or teacher with whom you can connect can also be a huge help with expressing your own  authentic voice.”

I hope reading about Marion’s personal practice will inspire you to go forth with your own with similar courage, intuition, and an openness to spontaneity – the way it has for me…

Where to Find Marion’s Work

You can see Marion’s work on her website and I highly recommend you check it out. Her work is beautiful, inspiring, and illuminates her process inherently. It’s wonderful to see such process oriented works come to life.  https://www.mariongrant.com/

You can also find her gallery showings, reviews, and more information about where you can see Marion’s work.

You can also find her on Instagram @mariongrantart

I look forward to her next collection.