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'Opera' - Marie Mills
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'Scent' - Marie Mills
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'Shadow' - Marie Mills
MARIE MILLS EXHIBITTING AT D’ART GALLERY IN MAY
Away from abstract and conceptual tendencies Marie evokes an old fashioned approach to art and, to say the least, Marie has a predilection for wild flowers. This interest was learnt from many years spent gardening with her mother. An in-depth knowledge of plants, accompanied by a lifelong love of painting has been her passion for many years, but it had to be secondary to raising her family and a full-time career.
Then a move to Cornwall meant that Marie could paint full time. From her studio overlooking Port Mellon Bay she has her subjects literally to hand from cliff top wilderness that frames the sea and landscape. Often working at dawn, Marie delights in the calm solitude of the early hours. Her paintings are multi-layered with deep textured elements created with a palette knife and fingers.
The result is often a finished canvas that transports you into a magical world with a perspective like that of a child lying amongst the grasses. She says, ‘I take great delight in starting a new painting, brushing in the skies, this is the only time I use a brush; I then use pallet knives and my fingers to create the hedgerow. This is all done rapidly so as not to lose the spontaneity and capture the beautiful chaos that is our living landscape’. Her distinctive style and unique creative gift have brought her to the notice of some prestigious collectors and she is now established as a painter of both great character and charm.
‘A kind of wilderness’ is a new collection from Marie and exhibited at D’art Gallery during Galleries Week at the end of May. This specialist artist now lives and works in France creating her textural floral compositions and her joyous approach suffuses all her work. She says she watches nature's fight for life against the wind, the rain, and the sun. Marie portrays the strength and frailty of a flower, the reassuring nature of a full bloom, the metamorphosis of a simple daisy.
Over 15 new canvases can be viewed at D’art Gallery, 4 Lower Street Dartmouth with images at www.dart-gallery.com.