|
 Wendy is a former Board
Member of the National Association
of Independent Artists, and is still an active supporter. To learn more about NAIA
and view the members'  gallery, visit their website! |
 Originally from
Carbondale, Illinois, Marvin received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree
from Southern Illinois University,
and a Master of Fine Arts in Printmaking from
Drake
University in Des Moines, Iowa. Since 1990, he and wife Wendy,
his business manager and assistant, made their living entirely
through the sale of his artwork at juried fine arts festivals
and through galleries across the country. Marvin died December 2,
2003 of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, but he leaves behind an amazing legacy of
art that Wendy continues to color and exhibit. Wendy still lives in their 1850s
farm house complete with ex-chicken house studio, a print shop
in the barn, three cats, and an ever-expanding garden.
 Marvin's
blockprints
begin with a drawing he has made on a flat block of wood or linoleum. Using very sharp tools, he cut the image into the block, carved away what will be white space and leaving the line. He applied
a thin layer of oil-based ink to the block's surface, and then printed
the image onto paper using a hand-pulled sign press. Wendy then adds watercolor.
If designed to be a dimensional piece,
each individual component has been drawn, printed, painted, and then cut out and assembled
using only museum-quality materials.
A frequent award winner on the juried art festival circuit,
Marvin drew inspiration
from his dreams and the books he passionately devoured.
Combined with Wendy's expressive use of watercolor, Marvin's visions revisit the art of storytelling at an extraordinary, interpretive level. |
