http://www.outdoorpainter.com / August-September 2019 57
t’s fairto sayMariaMarinodrawsinspirationfromtheImpressionists.
Butthesedays,thetermis usedlooselyenoughto applyto almostall
representationalpainters.Why?Becausethereseemto betwocom-
ponents—orat leasttwoviews—of Impressionism:a philosophical
approachanda technicalapproach.TheImpressionistswereinterested
in using(oftenbroken)colorto suggestthefeelingorexperienceof a scene
—theartist’simpressionof a place.Todoso,ClaudeMonetfamouslylaid
downdifferentcolorsadjacentto oneanotherto allowthemto mixoptically
in theviewer’smind.ForMarino,if suchtechnicalaspectsof FrenchImpres-
sionismarenotpresent,thenthesimplepursuitof depictingfeelingand
atmosphereis notenoughto makesomethingimpressionistic.
If theseseemtoyoulikefinelinesdividingpaintingstyles,then
you’llunderstandMarino’stendencytokeepherviewstoherself.She
is notinterestedinarguing,ordecidingwho’srightandwho’swrong.
Sheis interestedinpaintingtherichbeautyoftheworld.“WhenI seea
landscape,I tastecolorandI seecolorsthatotherpeopledon’tsee,” says
Marino. “It’s gorgeous, and I want to get it down on paper.”
PASTELPROCESS
It’sperhapsnosurprisethattheImpressionists’useofbrokencolor
appealstoa pastelistlikeMarino.WhiletheFrenchImpressionistslaid
downoilcolorsnexttooneanotherwitha brush,pastelartistsusesticks
ofnearlypurepigmenttodrawandpaintontexturedpaper.Ratherthan
mixpaintona paletteandthenapplythemixturetotheworkingsurface
(whichcandullormuddya pastelpainting),manypastelistsuseadjacent
colorstoblendhues;it’sthenatureofthebeast.
“It’sthewaythelightis capturedin a painting,in a morefractured
manner,thatappealsto meas Impressionism,”Marinosays.“I goto theold
guysin theImpressionistmovement.That’swhoI likeandthat’swhomoves
me.”Butdon’tmakethemistakeof believingMarinois thinkingsolelyof
theFrenchImpressionists.“TheRussianspaintmorein theimpressionist
mannerthanothers,”sheasserts.“It’showtheymixcoloroptically,with
freshbrushstrokes—withnofear,nohesitation.Inpastelyoucan’tpremix
color;youhaveto opticallymixthem.It’sallaboutvalueandhowintense
that one color is against the other colors. It’s all about adjacencies.”MorningatBack Creek —
Eastport
2018,pastel, 12 x 24in.
Privatecollection
Plein air