email: michellemarcuse@aol.com

BIO:
I grew up in South Africa during the Apartheid era. The country is extremely diverse culturally and despite the then-legal divisions of white and black people and its’ fraught political situation, there was nevertheless cultural osmosis. From the combination of our ethnicities, together with the colonial influences of the British and Boer(Dutch) plus our distance from other continents grew an extraordinary mix for the senses. I did not know my artistic leanings at an early age but I am sure that the blend of incredible light, color, sun, shadow, drama, black, white, brown, cape wind, rain and politics has penetrated and influenced me. Currently a resident of Philadelphia, I exhibit and teach workshops regionally and nationally.

ARTIST STATEMENT:
Relying on imagery based on streams of fluids, waves, vibrations, vortices, and elements that define continuously changing forms, these paintings focus upon movement characterizing prototypical forms. I use these elements for their visual interest and dynamic interplay. The images are laminated into the work using a printing process (described below), to be painted upon in layers of encaustic wax paint and oil paint.

The merging of the ancient wax painting technique (encaustic) together with digital technology has been my focus this past year. I am intrigued by the seeming contradictions between the ancient and the contemporary, and take a certain pleasure in finding an apparent synergy between the two. Working with encaustic paint is slow and usually laden with process. Conversely, digital prints are swift and mechanized. I see the two mediums as polar opposites in their application, yet each has an essence that relates well to the other.

To start, I digitally record my image and alter it using Photoshop. It is laser printed directly onto a re-leasable surface such as household wax paper which has been folded around letter size sheets of paper so that it will be accepted by my printer. These prints are then transferred by way of burnishing to the skin of the wax. At this point the images are seamed or registered together in their entirety. Sometimes segments of the paintings themselves are digitally recorded again and reconceived back onto the wax surface within other painting compositions. In this way, each work describes a facet of what I am working on and becomes connected to the whole.

Hot wax congeals very quickly, and I have taken to pouring the beginning layers onto my substrates in order to unify them overall. I work with both formal elements and the intuitive process. My work varies in size; the larger pieces being far more technically challenging while the small paintings encapsulate an intimacy, and provide me with a forum to work out problems or new ideas. Since I generally work with encaustic and oil paint in layers on top of printed material, I consider these works as mixed media paintings on shallow relief surfaces. I find that a range of scales as well as continually refining my process opens me up creatively by depriving me of the comforts of familiarity. It is curiosity, vision, and an open mind that essentially propels me artistically forward.

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:
2008
Solo show, Pfenninger Gallery, Lancaster, PA
New American Paintings,The Open Studios Press, Juried Exhibition in Print, Mid-Atlantic Edition
68th Annual Juried Exhibition, Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, PA, juror Stephen Talasnik
Betsy Meyer Memorial Exhibition, The Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA, juror Sueyun Locks
Into Intuituition: Towards a Redefinition, 6 person exhibition, The University Gallery at Salisbury, Salisbury, MD

2007
Pink at Perkins: The Contradictory Character of a Complex Color, Perkins Center for the Arts, NJ
Present Tense, Gallery Siano, 2 person show, Philadelphia, PA
Surface and Beyond: Artists working with the Textural Possibilities of Wax, Ruth Morpeth Gallery, Hopewell, NJ
Painters in Progress: The Process of Painting, Stratus Sphere, 3 person show, Philadelphia, PA

2006
Oil + Wax, Chapter & Verse, Community Art Center, Beverly Roman Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
The Natural World Unveiled, The Art Gallery at the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, Wynnewood, PA
Remix:Wax and the Intuitive Process, Williamsport College of Technology, Williamsport, PA

2005
Art in City Hall 1984 – 2005, Art in City Hall, Philadelphia, PA
Immense & Intimate, The Phoenixville Art Center, Phoenixville, PA
Art of the State, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA
Oil + Wax, Chapter & Verse, Community Art Center, Wallingford, PA
Oil + Wax, Chapter & Verse, Siano Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Hive and Hue,Solo exhibition, The Gallery at R&F, Kingston, NY

2004
9 artists, AnInvitational Exhibition, The Cheltenham Center for the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Hive and Hue, Solo Exhibition, University City Arts League, Philadelphia, PA
Inner Circles, a traveling group exhibition, The Sharadin Art Gallery, Kutztown, PA.
Inner Circles, a taveling group exhibition, The Susquehanna Art Museum, Harrisburg, PA.

2003
Surface, Matter & Artifice, Contemporary Works by Encaustic Artists,
Dutchess Community College, Poughkeepsie, NY
The Future in Wax, Whitaker Center , Harrisburg, PA
Whole Ball of Wax, WomanMade Gallery, Chicago, IL
In Depth, The Main Line Art Center, Philadelphia PA

2002
Art of the State, Susquehanna Art Museum show, Harrisburg, PA
Bio-Tech, DaVinci Art Alliance & Iniquid.Com, Philadelphia, PA
Non-Objective Art, Art in City Hall, Philadelphia, PA

2001
Group Show, The Snyderman Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Undercurrent:Manipulation of Form, The Gayle Willson Gallery, Southampton, NY
Images in Wax: Contemporary Encaustic, The Karl Drerup Art Gallery, Plymouth, NH
Abstract,The Wallingford Art Center, Media, PA

2000
Organic, The Painted Bride Art Center, Philadelphia, PA

1998
The 2nd Taegu International Textile Design Competition, Taegu, Korea
The Leeway Foundation Awards for Women in the Arts , The Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA

1997
African Presence - Visual Activism in Philadelphia, African American Museum, Philadelphia, PA
1 Screen, 2 Souls, 4 Hands, Art in City Hall, Philadelphia, PA

GRANTS AND AWARDS
2008
The Greater Harrisburg Arts Council First Prize in painting, Harrisburg, PA

2005
The Greater Harrisburg Arts Council First Prize in painting, Harrisburg, PA

1999
Pennsylvania Council on the Arts grant, Harrisburg, PA

1997
The Leeway Foundation, Honorable Mention in Fiber Arts, Philadelphia, PA

PUBLICATIONS
2008
New American Paintings, Mid-Atlantic, juror Jenelle Porter from the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania

COLLECTIONS
2006
Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, Wynnewood, PA

2005
Coventry First, Fort Washington, PA
The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA
R&F Handmade Paints Inc., Kingston, NY

1999
The Bangkok Collection, Cultural Fiber, United States Embassy, Bangkok, Thailand

REVIEWS
2007
Present Tense; David Foss and Michelle Marcuse at Siano Gallery, The Inferno, Fall 2007, Millville NJ
The Joy of Existence in Old City by Anne Fabbri for The Broad Street Review, 09.15.2007 Philadelphia, PA
http://pfarrellartblog.blogspot.com/ 8/2007
http://www.vincentromaniello.com/vlog.html 8/2007
see-ya-siano, article by Robin Rice for The City Paper, 2007/08/23
The New Art Season Starts NOW! Article by R.B.Strauss, Artstalker, University City Review, Sept. 5, 2007

2005
The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 29th, Glories of Wax, reviewed by Edward Sozanski, Philadelphia, PA
Art Matters, August issue, Pg. 11, Art of the State Shows Pennsylvania’s Best , reviewed by
Ellen Slupe, PA
The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 15th, review on Oil and Wax, Chapter & Verse, Philadelphia, PA

2004
Philadelphia Daily News, August 13th, ‘Hive’ at the Arts League, reviewed by Donna Williams Vance, Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia Weekly, Mood Processor reviewed by Roberta Fallon, PA
University City Review, August 2004
Alternative Central, 360 Degrees of Unity,Sept/Oct.issue, reviewed by Ricki Sablove, Harrisburg, PA
The Morning Call, February 12th, Inner Circles exhibit stretches and burns, reviewed by Geoff Gehman, Allen Town, PA
The Patriot News, July 18th, Art to bring you full circle, reviewed by Zachary Lewis,Harrisburg, PA
The Keystone, Modern art comes full circle, reviewed by Kristin Baver, Kutztown, PA

2002
Art Matters, August, pg 15.Art of the State in Harrisburg, reviewed by Ellen Slupe, PA
Lifestyles, Freedom of expression, Artphile by Edward Higgins, Philadelphia, PA
Home News (Art Museum Area), April 11th, Abstract Art in City Hall: Exhibit, Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia Weekly, April 10, ART, reviewed by Roberta Fallon, Philadelphia, PA

VISITING ARTIST AND LECTURES
2008
The Perkins Center for the Arts, Collingswood,NJ

2007
Penn College of Technology, Williamsport, PA
2004
Kutztown University, Kutztown, PA

ARTIST RESIDENCIES
2000
Illinois State University, Normal, IL

EDUCATION
1985
Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia. Pennsylvania

1983
Michaelis School of Art, Cape Town, South Africa

1981
The Shenkar College of Fashion & Textile Technology, Tel Aviv, Israel

TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Howard Pyle Studios, Wilmington, DE
Jackson State University, Jackson, MS
Visiting Artist – Athenaeum Music and Arts Library, La Jolla, CA
Main Line Art Center, Philadelphia, PA
Eaglerock Community Cultural Center, Los Angeles, CA
Irvine Valley College, Irvine, CA
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Moore College of Art, Philadelphia, PA
Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
Main Line Art Center, Philadelphia, PA
Plymouth State College, Plymouth, NH
Chester Springs Studios, Chester Springs, PA
Moore College of Art, Career symposium, Philadelphia, PA
Illinois State University Visiting Artist Program, Normal, ILL

LINKS

http://www.mainlineart.com

www.rfpaints.com

www.davidfoss.com

www.antoniopuri.com

http://www.ljathenaeum.org

www.inliquid.com

anneseidman.com

www.abstractfineart.com

www.vincentromaniello.com

www.ljathenaeum.org

www.nurtureart.com

www.ucartsleague.org

www.mainlineart.org

www.wpaconline.org/

www.afonline.artistsspace.org/

www.artincontext.org

www.michaelis.uct.ac.za/

www.abstractfineart.com

www.vincentromaniello.com/vlog.html

pfarrellartblog.blogspot.com

www.citypaper.net/

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