Pursuing Truth – Marie Theres Madani – Ep 15  

The beautiful thing about art is that it transports us to new places. One glance and the viewer is instantly invited to experience a world they have never been to before. However, when an artist is just getting started, that invitation can feel unsure or incomplete because they are still, understandably, finding their way. 

But there are exceptions. Amazingly some extraordinary invitations come from artists relatively early in their careers. From seemingly out of nowhere, someone somewhere in the world puts it all together. Early. 

Today’s guest is Marie Theres Madani. Her recent large paintings stopped me dead in my tracks. Once I saw what she was making, I just wanted more. I wanted to know more about the maker of these gorgeously bold paintings. Her invitation, her art is so truthful and brave I had to meet her. Join me for a conversation that is bound to inspire you and help you on your art-making journey.

Listen if you are interested in…

• The art journey of  Marie Theres Madani [3:39]
• The feeling and voice of Marie’s art [9:30]
• Finding freedom in the canvas [15:25]
• Exploring the process of Marie’s art-making [19:12]
• How Marie is taking steps to grow as an artist [32:12]
• The biggest lessons Marie has learned and the road ahead  [40:26]

Finding your voice

So many artists are still developing the voice of their work. It’s fairly common for that process to last a decade, possibly more. Yet Marie Theres Madani seems to have found hers quite a bit earlier. When it comes to defining that voice, Marie is unable to narrow down a singular feeling she’s looking to capture with her art. After all, the human experience is filled with a plethora of competing emotions. That’s why depth is the word she uses to best describe the paintings she creates. Her aim is to express everything she’s feeling or has experienced on the canvas, creating a tension and complexity that mirrors who she is as a person. 

What strikes me about Marie’s work is how strong the feeling and voice of it is. Every painting feels spacious and wild. Abstract art has always had a hold on her because there are no limits to what emotions you can express. She wants people to see themselves in her work and formulate their own interpretations. As soon as she exhibits a piece, she knows it no longer belongs to her. That the dialogue she once privately shared with her art is now open to anyone and everyone who sees it. In that sense, she feels like her paintings get to live many different lives depending on who is in dialogue with them.

Trusting the process

Many artists try to plan out what their work will look like before putting brush to canvas. While there is nothing wrong with planning things out, it is the antithesis of how Marie approaches her work. She doesn’t have a fixed concept of what she wants to paint but rather works off of intuition and what she’s feeling in the moment. For Marie, making art is all about the process. She never really knows what the finished piece will look like while creating it. Her favorite part of art-making is seeing how the composition grows and evolves with the process itself.

There is a widely-held opinion that an artist should find their one style of painting and stay with it for the rest of their career. And while having recognizable art is a great thing, it puts an enormous amount of pressure on artists to “stay in their lane” even if they’ve outgrown it. Marie used to feel that pressure until she realized you can change your style as an artist as long as the voice, message, and feeling behind your art feels consistent with yourself. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what your style is or the medium you use to create it, as long as you are true to yourself. That truth is something worth pursuing, wherever it takes you.

Connect with Marie Theres Madani

• Website: https://www.marietheresmadani.com 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marietheresmadani/ 

Connect with Nicholas Wilton

• Nicholas@art2life.com
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