Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Marsha Salyer Jorgensen

Here is the fifth of a wee series of artist interviews based on the colours of the rainbow! It has been a fun project. What impact did each colour have on the artist's life. What is the strongest memory or association with it.

My fifth interview is with the delightful Marsha Jorgensen of Eagle Rock, California. Her detailed collage work is meticulous and inspired and has been featured in Somerset magazine. She lives with her husband of twenty years who works in the film biz , two teenaged children, and her mom in law. A full house:) Always bursting with energy and upbeat enthusiasm, you can read Marsha's blog here and buy her whimsical art at Tumblefishstudio.Etsy. She graduated with a BFA years ago and after many twists and turns is back to doing what she loves....creating art!

Fly

I own this one:)) Should be arriving any day now!

Here are Marsha's colours......
Red Red is luxury to me, decadent and indulgent. I have been rather refrained most of my life except with my closest of friends. You could say rather conservative and proper. Red has always screamed power and passion and glamor and romance and fast cars and sexy dresses and confident shoes. All things that would draw way too much attention than I was comfortable with. I reached my forties a couple of years ago, and with these middle age years has come more willingness to indulge in my own version of a passionate and confident life complete with red shoes (converse of course) and not minding attention anymore.
Orange - Orange makes my cheeks pucker. Words like citrus, zest, tangy, juicy, fresh, tart, sweet and happy all come to mind. I think of sunsets and poppies and pumpkins and fall leaves. and I still have trouble using orange in my art as I always get it confused with Halloween somehow in the end. It is warm and comforting to me. Orange is a color I look forward to getting to know better.
Yellow - Maybe my least favorite color would be yellow. It seems indecisive to me - not for girls, not for boys, but for whichever of the two may arrive. It is a difficult color to wear and use. It is my problem color. In its favor, yellow does make me think of sunshine and sunfish bellies and sunflowers and how good they look next to a summer sky. I wish on yellow glowing stars and remember the bright little fuzzy chicks I held as a child.
Green - Luscious and earthy and enchanting are ways I would describe green. I'm not a pastel girl. I like deep rich bold and bright colors and a good deep glowing green can create such magic and enchantment on a forest floor and ceiling, or in the ferns and moss near a waterfall, or in the bent and tangled leaves beneath the colorful canopy of a flower garden. And, I love using green with reds and purples and oranges in a kind of moulin rouge carnival magic show way.
Blue - Blue is sad to me, too quiet for me. I'm ready to be happy and noisy in my ways these days. I like the bright blue of the ocean or how it is reflected in any pool or stream of water because it seems so refreshing and brilliant when I see it in this way - like looking through a beautiful glass window to a whole different world. I don't care for blue walls or houses. I love blue eyes and blue jeans. I love it with red and white. I love blue mixed with green and I love it when it's neon.
Indigo/purple - Oh, how much room can I have to write about purple? Delicious purple. It's such a flexible color. It can be light and romantic and soft and happy. It can be dark and passionate and sinister. I can think of so many things I love about purple . . . iris, the smell of sweet freesia, grape lollipops, my favorite gardens use purple and red flowers together, magic wizard hats and capes, butterfly wings, soothing lavender, royal velvet robes, gypsy dresses, and mountains far off in the distance.
Violet/pink - Pink is not a color I would wear anymore but I do love it's warmth and its lighter side of passion and love. It's a fun and caring color in my opinion. Of course it is feminine and soft and though I am neither of those things I appreciate those qualities. I love glowing pink lanterns and little pink boxes tied with little pink ribbons. I love light pink with silver used in any way and I love the fun and whimsy of hot pink tulle tutus. I definitely prefer rich deep pinks like those in Star Gazer Lillies.
Black -I have to write about black! Black is my most favorite color. As you know, in lighting, black is the absence of color, but for an artist using paints or ink, black is the sum of all colors. It is all of the colors mixed together. And all colors look so brilliant and vibrant when they rest next to it. I wear mostly black clothes and I love black cars. I love little black dresses, men in black suits, and black hair with blue or green eyes. I love the dark shade of a tree or the darkest of skies that show off the stars. I love black and white borders and black and white stripes with colorful pictures nearby.

10 comments:

Teresa aka Tess said...

Wonderful interview of a fabulous artist. I've seen her in Somerset and love her collages. Thanks,
Tess

Flor Larios Art said...

Beautiful artwork! Love the funky...modern collages. She is great...I enjoyed reading the interview.
Thanks,
Flor

Kim Mailhot said...

I love Marsha's stuff ! She has a fine edge to her pieces that I just love, not to mention that whimsy ! We all need more whimsy, I think !
Thanks for the rainbow of Marsha !

Ronnie said...

Pour on the inspiration! Boy, did I need Marsha's wisdom today. Not only is she an artist with color, but an artist with words as well.
Thanks again, Shelagh for sharing these great folks with us.
I am in love with this woman's work! A much needed jump start for a challenging day ahead.

Ronnie said...

I couldn't resist. I just wanna fly!

Tumble Fish Studio said...

Oh Miss Shelagh! I needed this little boost today as I was draggin' until I found your comment to pop over here. You make me feel so special and like a real artist type! Something about reading about myself made it all seem more real than it has up to now! So, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for that thrill and satisfaction.

And, I thank all of your very kind comment leavers. Wow. I cannot tell you how wonderful you've made me feel.

Now, I'm worried that your piece isn't there yet! Hasn't it been 10 days? Hmmmm. It's making me nervous! Let me know when it gets there. It would be ironic that I haven't lost a piece yet and after you telling me the same this one would get lost. I'll go check my receipt for the date. I'll just make you another one if need be.

Thanks again kind lady. I cannot tell you thank you enough.

marsha

Cathy said...

awesome! i'm a big marsha fan :)

Chichiboulie said...

lovely interview and wonderful artist. I totally agree about yellow... not sure what to do with it! :D

Terri Kahrs said...

A super interview with a super artist! I adore Marsha's art and am thrilled to see her getting such wonderful recognition for her work! Bravo!

LuLu Mypinkturtle said...

Bonjour Shelagh! Just loved your Rainbow interview with Marsha! And thanks for introducting me to her wonderful art! It is so bold, so happy, so fun! Great, great reading! My turn now, I know, I promised and still nothing, I will keep quiet than surprise you with my rainbown colors ! Have a great weekend! LuLu xxx