Marcie Jan Bronstein
Art (making, studying, traveling-to-see, teaching) has been at the center of my life for more than thirty years. After all of this time, what fascinates and compels me hasn't really changed. I make paintings, photographs and pottery to stop time, to take a slow breath, to see the world more clearly. And to find what's beautiful.
The watercolor paintings in this exhibition are works from a few different series’, created during the past four years: Seeking, Finding; Oasis; Karma/Choice; Still Point. While the theme of each series differs, all of my work is created in the spirit of play and discovery. My paintings are composed in the moment, and because my medium is watercolor, each mark made has a kind of finality. As with Asian brush painting, mindfulness is key.
Statement for Still Point:
Still Point is a reference to a line in T.S. Eliot’s poem Burnt Norton, in which he wrote about "the still point in a turning world." In the wake of the events of 2020, this was a powerful image to me, most especially after the Capitol riot. Who among us is not searching for a Still Point, a place of peace, harmony, and clarity about the trajectory of our days and futures? I spent most of the pandemic in isolation with my husband and our cat, Bacio. It’s not possible to overestimate the importance of Bacio’s presence during this time. He has been an anchor, a beacon of calm, and a master of mindfulness. I’ve spent more time than usual watching him, so it’s no surprise that he entered my paintings. The muse now immortalized in watercolor, composed, balancing cairns, raising a tattered curtain after the storm.
EDUCATION
1992 Lorenzo de Medici: Diploma Magister Linguae: Italian language Florence, Italy
1988 Hampshire College: BFA, Painting Amherst, MA
1986 Fashion Institute of Technology: AAS, Magna Cum Laude, Photography New York, NY
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2021 Waterfall Arts: “Photographing Belfast’s Waterfront” (invitational) Belfast, ME
2020 Zillman Art Museum, University of Maine, “Being Here” (solo) Bangor, ME
Penobscot Marine Museum, “Bay as Muse...” (invitational- postponed) Searsport, ME
2018 Center for Maine Contemporary Art Biennial Exhibition (juried) Rockland, ME
2017 The Annex Art Center (invitational) Castine, ME
2014 Photographic Resource Center: Flash Forward Festival Boston, MA
Slocumb Gallery: “Positive/Negative: Pages” Johnson City, TN
2013 New England Photography Biennial (juried) Framingham, MA
Aarhus Gallery: “Infinite Horizons” (invitational) Belfast, ME
2012 Parallax, The Women’s Photography Exhibition (invitational) Notre Dame, MD
PUBLIC ART / COMMISSIONS / GRANTS
2021 “Flow To The Sea” Crosswalk Design Belfast, ME
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
2021 Working Waterfront, Island Institute, feature article Rockport, ME
Maine Arts Journal: feature essay and paintings, Summer Maine
2020 Being Here: Zillman Art Museum Museum exhibition catalog Bangor, ME
2019 ArtMaze Contemporary Magazine (curated) London, UK
2018 Your Impossible Voice Literary Journal: cover painting
2017 Portland Press Herald: feature article, Portland, ME
Yale University, Perch Arts & Literary Journal: 2 paintings New Haven, CT
New England Review: cover painting Middlebury, VT
Maine Home and Design: Maine Artists To Watch Portland, ME
Princeton Art Brushes: Artist Spotlight
2016 Art Revealed Magazine: portfolio and interview London, UK
2015 After The Pause Poetry Journal: featured portfolio of paintings
RESIDENCIES / WORKSHOPS
2018 Millay Colony (Full Fellowship) Austerlitz, NY
SELECTED TEACHING / WORK
2014-18 Celebrity Cruises: Onboard Watercolor Artist/Teacher Worldwide
2011-14 Education Coordinator: Center for Maine Contemporary Art Rockport, ME
2010-11 Art Residency: “Yes is a World” : Starrett Center Belfast, ME
