MARIE Salinger was born in Dublin, Ireland and lived there until 16-years-old when her parents decided to move to Australia.
She arrived in Melbourne in 1977 along with mum dad and five younger siblings.
Marie and her husband Tom moved to Stanley nine years ago and have lived in North East of Victoria since then.
What do you do workwise?
I am a visual artist based at Mayday Hills in Beechworth.
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My creative practice incorporates painting, drawing, printmaking, collage, and photography.
I studied art at Melbourne State College (a former teacher training college before amalgamation with Melbourne University) and in 2018, following a long career as an arts educator, committed to my visual arts practice full-time.
I really enjoyed teaching art and I am grateful for the opportunity to share my love of art with many students over the years.
I still do some teaching in schools and I also run art classes at my studio.
My art practice explores the natural world and what lies out of sight, including the organic marks created by scribbly gum moths under the bark of gum trees.
I like to work intuitively responding to the ebb and flow of life.
My solo exhibition Solas (Gaelic for light) which opens at MAMA, Albury on April 5 brings together a new body of works which are deeply personal delving into places where art, nature and healing intersect.
What brought you to your career?
I have memories of drawing and painting from a very early age and my parents were always supportive and encouraging.
However, I never really considered becoming a teacher until a chance meeting on a train with my former Year 12 art teacher.
The course of my life transformed when she suggested becoming an art teacher.
I quickly changed my university preferences and so began an incredible, fulfilling career path for me.
What do you love about your work?
Everything.
I wake up in the morning and feel energised to get to the studio.
I love having the freedom to explore and work with materials and ideas and am so grateful to have the gift of art in my life.
What do you do in the community?
I am a member of the Beechworth Arts Council in an advisory role.
It is exciting and rewarding to help bring together exhibitions and events for the community to enjoy.
I am also a member of the Mayday Hills Art Society which is a really supportive environment providing creative spaces for artists working in a wide range of media.
Is there an important community issue that you think needs addressing?
The historical buildings and gardens at Mayday Hills are a superb community asset that I would like to see preserved for future generations to enjoy.
What do you see as one of the most important current world issues?
I am extremely concerned about our climate crisis and the ongoing lack of respect and love for this incredible planet.
If the person you would most like to meet came to Indigo Shire who would that be, what would you show them, and why?
I would love to take a walk in the Beechworth Gorge with the late Irish poet John O’Donohue and to hear his thoughts on the beauty of this landscape.
What book are you reading?
‘The Creative Act: A Way of Being’ by Rick Rubin in which he argues that creativity is an intrinsic aspect of human nature, accessible to all individuals regardless of their background or artistic inclinations. It is a wonderful, empowering and inspiring book.
