My paintings change with the times, and are driven by political and social conditions. Much of this work refers to our democracy breaking apart – lives being interrupted, boundaries crossed – and I'm not referring to our. borders – though that could be one interpretation. My process is one of adding and subtracting, putting down and covering up, until only hints of what was, remains. For me, painting is a form of venting, while simultaneously being meditative and nourishing. Color, texture and movement are my general focus.
In "kinder/gentler" moments I paint places I dream up (which has been a recurring theme of mine since art school) – either by subconscious recollection or my own invention . "Landscape" is often merely a suggestion by the inclusion of a horizon, or a moon (or both, or several of each.) I am an avid sky watcher, I love clouds and watching the weather change, and have felt most at home living by water. I think of these landscapes as "realistic fantasies," as they teter between the two in their presentation. I am inspired by the places I visit, but also by disasters relating to climate change, as they are becoming much more frequent and powerful due to the wreckless nature of mankind. My paintings are at times a commentary about our rising sea levels, intensified storms or dangerous air quality – especially after our planet is hit by another catastrophic event.
Marjorie Sopkin
Addendum: I recently came across the word "Phantasmagoria" which means a sequence of real or imaginary images like those seen in a dream. I'm thinking of changing my name to "Magoria" since people are always forgetting the "r" in Marjorie anyway, and because I'm convinced I was Italian in another life.
In "kinder/gentler" moments I paint places I dream up (which has been a recurring theme of mine since art school) – either by subconscious recollection or my own invention . "Landscape" is often merely a suggestion by the inclusion of a horizon, or a moon (or both, or several of each.) I am an avid sky watcher, I love clouds and watching the weather change, and have felt most at home living by water. I think of these landscapes as "realistic fantasies," as they teter between the two in their presentation. I am inspired by the places I visit, but also by disasters relating to climate change, as they are becoming much more frequent and powerful due to the wreckless nature of mankind. My paintings are at times a commentary about our rising sea levels, intensified storms or dangerous air quality – especially after our planet is hit by another catastrophic event.
Marjorie Sopkin
Addendum: I recently came across the word "Phantasmagoria" which means a sequence of real or imaginary images like those seen in a dream. I'm thinking of changing my name to "Magoria" since people are always forgetting the "r" in Marjorie anyway, and because I'm convinced I was Italian in another life.
