IN CONVERSATION

ARDEN + WHITE in conversation with Marisa Purcell

One would say that Sydney-based artist, Marisa Purcell, is a master of the atmospheric, engaged in abstraction exploring the interplay of light and color to uncover connections beyond everyday reality.  Her saturated color field paintings evoke a sense of tranquility and immersion, drawing viewers into expansive, meditative spaces.  Currently on show at the gallery, Purcell's pure works are intensified by their sweeping scale and monochromatic lens.

 

Purcell received a Master of Visual Arts from the University of Sydney in 2007 following her Masters of Art from the University of New South Wales College of Fine Arts in 2001.    However, Purcell is a self-taught painter as her first two degrees were in theory. She only received her Master of Visual Arts ten years into her practice.  

 

We had the opportunity to conduct a brief Q&A with Marisa, delving into her artistic practice and work.

 

 Never The Same River II, 2024

 

A+W: We really admire your compositions and use of color, and especially the emotions evoked when viewing your work. Can you share your intentions behind your art?

 

PURCELL:  I think everything is a narrative - mine is that perception is unreliable and we frame our opinions and understandings of things from what we’ve been conditioned to see.  A painting that can deceive you, change in front of your eyes, make you question what you are seeing, making it difficult to grasp onto, sits in a space where words don’t have a place. 

 

The point of what I’m doing is to get myself out of the way of myself while I am working, and hopefully, the viewer can do that too. A meaningful encounter with a space of color and light can bring an awareness to a part of yourself that goes beyond thought.

 

 Installation view, Through The Veils

 

A+W: You're a self-taught painter who eventually went to art school. Can you share your journey with us? How did it all come together?

 

PURCELL:  For my Masters of Art I majored in museum education primarily so I could work in public programs at the Art Gallery NSW and the MCA part-time.  It was a way to be with art, whilst providing an income, allowing me to work on paintings the other days. 

...I taught myself how to paint by making friends with the staff at the art shop, asking lots of questions, and getting studios with other artists.  Working with paint alone brought up lots of problems and questions that I would try to solve alone or by asking other artists. I also learned by looking at great paintings when I traveled and studying them to understand more about how they were made.

 

Morning Moments, 2023

 

"A MEANINGFUL ENCOUNTER WITH A SPACE OF COLOR AND LIGHT CAN BRING AN AWARENESS TO A PART OF YOURSELF THAT GOES BEYOND THOUGHT." - PURCELL

 

Toward The Way II, 2024

 

A+W: How do you approach painting?  Do you work one piece at a time or a show at a time in the studio?  
 
PURCELL:  Typically, I paint large. I feel like I can really get to know what a particular color does when it covers a large expanse.  I start on a stretched canvas of raw linen.  I then apply acrylic paint in thin layers.  Each layer needs to dry thoroughly, so while this is happening I work on the others that I have hanging on the studio walls. 
 
...the beginnings are always the hardest - it's hard to commit to an idea because every layer counts. Once I have a few paintings underway, the flow starts happening across all the canvasses. I know when a painting is finished when I can’t think of another layer it needs. Some paintings have a few layers, others can have thirty layers, it just depends on what that painting needs.
 

 Purcell in studio

 

"PERCEPTION IS UNRELIABLE." -PURCELL

 

Installation view - Through The Veils 

 

A+W: You mentioned that starting is the hardest part. Do you begin with a specific source of inspiration for your new work?
 
PURCELL:  Inspiration comes from anywhere - from color itself, or more frequently, the qualities of the atmosphere I observe in nature; skies, trees, water, and shadows.
 
A consistent inspiration for me has been the permeating effect that music can have. Music, for so many artists, sits alongside painting. It feels like it is made in the same way, I’ve always felt I could imagine what the music I listen to looks like.  Music is the most abstract of all art forms.  I feel liberated in this space.  The potential is the most interesting force and the unknown space is where we can be surprised.

 

 

It Takes Time II, 2024 

 
A+W: Can you describe your studio environment? Is there such a thing as a "typical day" for you in the studio?
 
PURCELL: My studio is in a big storage warehouse in Alexandria.  I work alongside four other artists who I adore.  We all make completely different work and we all 100% support and respect each other.
 
The studio has huge windows, making artificial light unnecessary. In fact, our working hours are limited from 8 am-5 pm because it is officially a storage unit.  This can be annoying when there are deadlines, but it enforces that working hours occur in the daylight, which has affected and influenced my work.  The light from the window starts to leak in at about 2 pm in summer and much earlier in winter.  I love watching how the paintings transform, depending on the time of day. The colors take on different personalities in different light.  My paintings are made up of many layers of thin glazes. This allows light to weave in and out of the surface of the painting, making the surface come alive.
 

 

Purcell's work is featured in a two-person show at the gallery, Through The Veils, alongside Franziska Reinbothe from June 28 - August 10.

 

For more information on available works by the artist, contact gallery@ardenandwhitegallery.com

 

July 26, 2024