S C R A P S
Bio: Shawn Marshall is a Kentucky-based painter & mixed-media artist with a background in architecture and design. She earned a Master of Architecture with a Minor in Fine Art from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Kentucky. She is also a visual arts educator who earned a Master of Art in Teaching from Bellarmine University.
Marshall's work has received international recognition and has been published in Suboart Magazine, Art Seen Magazine, Contemporary Collage Magazine, Art Hive Magazine, and others. She was recently accepted for a residency and exhibition with the Jen Tough Gallery in Santa Fe, NM. In 2023, she was awarded an Artist Enrichment Grant from the Great Meadows Foundation. Her work is included in many collections including the S.N.A.P. Collection in Louisville, KY, corporate collections including Brown Forman Corporation, PNC Bank, Commonwealth Bank, and the University of Kentucky, and numerous private collections in the U.S. and Europe. |
Statement: My artistic process is significantly shaped by the integration of my multidisciplinary background in architecture and sculpture. It informs not only the techniques I employ and the tools I use but also the consideration I give to structure, form, space, composition, and material. My work explores the profound connection between human presence and our environment. I am also concerned with consumption and waste. For this reason, I collect discarded and found materials such as paper, cardboard, wallpaper, magazines, lace, scraps of material, etc. I then merge the carefully selected mixed media with paint to create intricate webs and imprints of our existence.
I see each artwork as a dialogue between the present and the past. From an aerial perspective, some works take on the semblance of rediscovered cityscapes or overgrown gardens, reminiscent of forgotten structures and the tangible traces of human activity. Others might resemble cosmic universes. As one draws closer, a duality emerges. The intricate textures and layers mimic the surfaces of billboards that have witnessed the ebb and flow of information and messages, and the frames of the subway platforms that host a perpetual dance of images and information. It is through this rhythm of placement and removal that our intricate relationship with the world unfolds, leaving behind a tapestry of ideas, experiences, and memories that weave together to create new imprints and narratives.
Each piece is unique, dynamic, and intricately crafted with layers of materials sourced from discarded and found items, encouraging environmental consciousness. These materials not only contribute to the aesthetic richness and depth of the artwork, but also symbolize a commitment to repurposing and reimagining our consumption habits. It invites you to become part of a larger narrative, where the artwork serves as a conduit for reflection, dialogue, and connection with the world around us.
I see each artwork as a dialogue between the present and the past. From an aerial perspective, some works take on the semblance of rediscovered cityscapes or overgrown gardens, reminiscent of forgotten structures and the tangible traces of human activity. Others might resemble cosmic universes. As one draws closer, a duality emerges. The intricate textures and layers mimic the surfaces of billboards that have witnessed the ebb and flow of information and messages, and the frames of the subway platforms that host a perpetual dance of images and information. It is through this rhythm of placement and removal that our intricate relationship with the world unfolds, leaving behind a tapestry of ideas, experiences, and memories that weave together to create new imprints and narratives.
Each piece is unique, dynamic, and intricately crafted with layers of materials sourced from discarded and found items, encouraging environmental consciousness. These materials not only contribute to the aesthetic richness and depth of the artwork, but also symbolize a commitment to repurposing and reimagining our consumption habits. It invites you to become part of a larger narrative, where the artwork serves as a conduit for reflection, dialogue, and connection with the world around us.