Coming of age in the 1960’s I’ve been a rebel with many causes from an early age. Recognizing in high school on Long Island, NY, the futility of air raid drills requiring me to duck and cover, my concerns at that time were more outer directed and troubled over issues of civil rights and the immorality of the Vietnam War. The zeitgeist of those socially and culturally turbulent years provided a backdrop to observe, question, explore and experience a myriad of activities and lifestyles that eventually led me to complete an undergraduate degree in Human Services at S.U.N.Y Albany, but only after marriage, motherhood and homesteading in the Adirondacks intervened, providing a hiatus from academia for a spell.
A return to the campus to complete a Master’s degree in Education followed some years later. Realizing in mid-life, however, that my real passion was fueled by the creative arts which I’d dabbled in since childhood, I put aside my hard earned academic degrees, followed my bliss and yielded to the more imaginative side of my Sagittarian nature. Always visually oriented, I sharpened my powers of observation and turned to photography for a ten year run as a professional freelance photographer based in Saratoga Springs, NY. There I built a darkroom in the cellar of my turn of the century Victorian home and set up shop as FOCAL POINT STUDIO, taking on photo assignments for several local and regional publications and concurrently became the production photographer for our community HOME MADE THEATER, responsible for all head shots, play bills and photo publicity.
With camera in hand, my work afforded considerable domestic and international travel. New Mexico beckoned along the way and I migrated permanently to the northern part of the state in 1993. The beguiling beauty of the landscape and light in this Land of Enchantment encouraged me to begin immersing in painting and print making which continues to fuel my creative engine and elicits ever imaginative discovery. I live and maintain my studio in Santa Fe where I’ve worked, taught and volunteered since putting down roots in this unique part of the country. Now approaching my ninth decade, my primary cause is to leave a memorable legacy of visual images I currently create with mixed media collage I call my PAINTINGS WITH PAPER. Using many of my own photos as reference for my present subject matter, culled from a vast inventory representing over 50 years of image taking , I build up my canvas with many layers of various applied papers to lend texture and depth to each piece. With background in place I then collage bits and pieces of torn up monoprints I create with acrylic paints on a gel plate, a way of printing without a press, as one would otherwise use a paint brush, to create the focal point of the painting. Various inks, colored pencils, water soluble crayons or paint pens are then applied to further define and embellish the work. The finished piece is then sealed with a clear UV resistant acrylic varnish to guard the surface from fading and to protect the work from moisture, dirt and dust.
My creative work is my joy, my anchor and my refuge. It gives me a reason to get up in the morning and provides a few hours of happy each day, that keep the unrest out there at bay. At this stage in my life I find great pleasure in producing work that can please the eye, provoke reflection, lift the spirit and leave a smile. This is what makes the alchemy for me and ideally for the viewer, too.
"Creativity requires having the courage to let go of certainties."
~ Erich Fromm
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RECENT EXHIBITIONS
JURIED GROUP SHOWS
2024 FLORA AND FAUNA: New Mexico Art League, Albuquerque, NM
May 30 - July 6
COMMON GROUND: New Mexico Art League, Albuquerque, NM
April 18 - May 18
ART UNLEASHED: Art Mozaik Fine Art Gallery, 713 Canyon Rd., Santa Fe, NM
March 1 - 30
EXUBERANCE: Art Mozaik Fine Art Gallery, 713 Canyon Rd., Santa Fe, NM
January 3 - 31
2023 SMALL WORKS; Annual Holiday Show, New Mexico Art League, Albuquerque, NM
December 6 - January 13
SUBJECT-OBJECT; The Still Life. New Mexico Art League, Albuquerque NM
October 18 - November 18
SKIN DEEP; Working with the Portrait and Figure. New Mexico Art League, Albuquerque NM
July 19 - August 19
MOVERS and SHAKERS; Artists Who Teach, Lead and Inspire. Gallery With A Cause,
New Mexico Cancer Center, Albuquerque NM. February 20 - May 19.
2022 THE SPELL; The Magic of Words and Imagery. Santa Fe Community College Visual Arts Gallery
Santa Fe NM. October 6 - December 8.
SOLO SHOW
2017 RE-COLLECTIONS; Mixed Media Assemblage and Collage. 639 Grand Gallery, Nogales, AZ .
January 6 - March 3
GALLERIES
THE COLLECTIVE - 4243 W. El Prado Blvd. Tampa Bay, FL
THE HUDSON MERCANTILE - 1003 N East Ave. Sarasota, FL
214 MODERN VINTAGE - 314 W. Russell Ave. High Point, NC
VINTAGE MODERN - 2545 Central Ave. St. Petersburg, FL
AFFILIATIONS
2024 Member - NEW MEXICO WOMEN IN THE ARTS
https://newmexicowomeninthearts.org/marjo-hebert
2023 Member - NEW MEXICO WOMEN IN THE ARTS