Marie Cameron

 First Time Art Party Participant

Mature Elegance

Artist’s Website

MarieCameronStudio.com

Artist’s Statement

My series Florilegia (Latin for “a gathering of flowers”), is influenced by early botanicals, vanitas of the Dutch Golden Age and the Victorian language of flowers. To the Victorians, each flower conveyed a specific meaning such as, faith, hope or fidelity. I explore these connotations in my mixed media assemblage paintings. Each work contains an antique, hand colored, magic lantern slide which is built into the canvas covered board and illuminated from behind. Onto this base I’ve layered elements of collage, found objects, paint and pattern, creating a visual and conceptual puzzle. At times whimsical and reaching, these floral illuminations are a playful expression of a flower’s spirit as seen though a kaleidoscope of associated meanings and symbolism that is both antique and contemporary. 

About the Artist

Marie Cameron, a native of the Big Apple, grew up in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, Canada (also known for its apples). The deep culture, heritage orchards and high tides of this place left marks on the artist that continue to influence her work to this day. She completed her BFA with distinction at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada and was awarded a coveted Canada Council Explorations Art Grant. She has traveled extensively in Asia, Central America and Europe, soaking up the rich patterns and color in the fine and traditional arts of these regions. While working on the side as a giftware designer and book illustrator and dabbling in sculpture and photography, painting has always been her first love and mainstay. Her award-winning work has been exhibited and collected internationally. Marie Cameron is currently making her home and studio in the middle of the former Valley of Heart’s Delight—Los Gatos, California. Her work can be seen at Gallery 24 in Los Gatos and in bookstores, on the cover of The Memento, a recent novel by Christy Ann Conlin.