Marietta Sophie Paul fills her prints and recycled-material collages with repeated patterns that create active scenes and narratives.
Paul’s show will be in the Community Center’s Crowell Board Room, from March 6 through July 6, 2023. CCAI will host a reception for the artist on Wednesday, March 30, 5:00 – 6:30PM with an artist introduction at 5:30PM. The Community Center is located at 851 E William Street, Carson City. The Crowell Board Room is open for all the city’s public meetings.
Marietta Paul said, “The ‘Scuttled/Transformed’ series came out of my desire to eliminate waste, and in turn, create beauty. I was disturbed by the vast amount of squandered paper from my printmaking discards and finally landed on the idea of cutting up rejected prints to create collages. While on my morning walks, I noticed myriad soda & beer cans littering the side of the road. I found the colors compelling and gathered hundreds of cans over the miles walked, not as a good citizen keeping the streets of Carson City clean, but rather as an artist obtaining materials to incorporate into my collages.”
Paul learned her trade as a metalsmith while during a silversmith apprenticeship in the UK. Returning to the states, she attended the University of New Hampshire and earned a BA in Psychology in 1983. She established her business, Bench Designs, working in the jewelry trade as a goldsmith in 1984.
She became skilled at cloisonné enameling & hand engraving. As one who “uses the same techniques as her medieval counterparts,” she was invited by the Ringling Museum of Art to lecture on the techniques & tools used to create objects in several exhibitions: “Waking Dreams: The Art of the Pre-Raphaelites”, “Bedazzled! 5,000 Years of Jewelry” and “Gothic Art in the Gilded Age.”
The Ringling also exhibited one of her silver and cloisonné chalices, with the tools used to fabricate it, alongside the Medieval & Renaissance treasures, highlighting the bridge between craftsman past & present. Expanding her skills, Paul now takes printmaking classes at Western Nevada College and frequently combines her prints with recycled metal materials to create collages. She lives in Carson City.
CCAI is an artist-centered not-for-profit organization committed to community engagement in contemporary visual arts through exhibitions, illustrated talks, arts education programs, artist residencies, and online activities.
The Initiative is funded by the John Ben Snow Memorial Trust, Nevada Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities, John and Grace Nauman Foundation, Nevada Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, Carson City Cultural Commission, U.S. Bank Foundation, Kaplan Family Charitable Fund, Southwest Gas Corporation Foundation, Steele & Associates LLC, and CCAI sponsors and members.
For additional information, please visit CCAI’s website at .
This content was originally published here.