MARSHA KLEIN STUDIO

Marsha Klein with her paintings, Re-Membering and Dreamers#8. Photo Portrait by CMIllgen

From the most recent paintings in my sky series, To Shiver the Sky. An environmental statement, as well as a celebration of the joy of watching clouds forming a "skyscape

Created during the peak of Covid 19 shutdown as we were approaching the winter solstice. a streak of Northen Lights, aurora borealis, appears across the dark night sky, figures barely visible below.

This series was created during the peak of Covid 19 shutdown, as we were approaching the winter solstice. a streak of Northen Lights, the aurora borealis, appears across the dark night sky, bringing stunning light into the darkness, mysterious figures are barely visible below.

The Fire Paintings of 2017-18 led into this new series, “Extreme Weather,” interpretations from National Geographic photographs, depicting, volcanoes, hurricanes, thunderstorms, tornadoes, mass flooding, etc.

For me it always seems like Mother Nature’s powerful response to the imbalance civilization has wrought.

Mother Nature as the ultimate artist, rooted, surrounded by the elements, presenting her offering. For this painting, I revisited two earlier works: Surrogate Mother - Our Lady of the Roses 2007 and Re-membering - two scrolls diptych 1999

A combination of Unexpected Performance Piece and Bodyscapes #3 - Night Sky. The spiraling shape, superimposed on the figures is reminiscent of our spiraling movements in the Unexpected Performances, as well as under sea life, and Australian Aborigines’ dreamtime.

Painted Drawing on Paper, inks, oil pastel on acetate paper, culmination of a years worth of images, done following the big devastating wildfires in Sonoma & Napa County.

The primal experience of the wildfires surrounding our county in 2017, warranted nothing less than primal response, thus my Fire Series, which began ironically enough, the week before the fires started and continued throughout 2018. This was the final painting of the series, repainted from its 2003 origins.

This piece is a culmination of the Dreamers Series of 2005 revisited in 2015-17 and a synthesis with the Unveiling Series of 2009, continuing the imagery of suspended and transparent figures unwrapping.

Suspended in a dream state, the figures in the Dreamers series from 2005, and in the revisited Dreamers Series of 2016-17, are in various stages of cocooning and unwrapping. This image feels nautical and luminescent.

Revisiting and expanding on the 2005 Dreamers Series. The figures’ transparent bodies are drawn with charcoal, so all layers remain visible. This recent series captures well the synthesis that I intended, of the mediums, themes and images that have pervaded my lifetime of artmaking

This series, "Heart of the Matter," began in 2014, as my return, once again to painting, after four years of ceramics work. Revisiting themes and images from the earlier biomorphic work, the ribcage and double fetus butterfly are central to this series. As in the series of drawings that preceded this painting, I have embedded text from forty years of dream journaling.

At this point, with the intent to synthesize the mediums, themes and images that have pervaded my lifetime of artmaking, I want to get to the essence of what it is that I have to say, to the heart of the matter, both literally and figuratively. This series, "Heart of the Matter," begun in 2014, was my return, once again to painting, after four years of ceramics work.

This is from a series of painted and glazed torsos done in 2012, which followed a series of raw, white porcelain “Ektoskeletal Torsos done in 2011, at Womens Studio Workshop, Artist Residency in Hudson Valley, N. Y.

This was the culmination of a new series, “Interior Designs.” Revisiting earlier ceramic sculpture from 1994. “Fetus-Phoenix,” I expanded further on these earlier themes.

My intent now being to synthesize the mediums, themes and images that have pervaded my lifetime of making art, to get to the essence, to the skin and bones of my vision, both literally and figuratively. Thus, at my NY artist residency, I created white porcelain bonelike "Ektoskeletal Torsos," which developed into painted torsos in 2012.

In the tradition of revisiting earlier work, in this case, the ceramic sculpture of 1986, Brackenfern Mask and expanding further on these earlier themes, this piece is part of the 2011 series, that I called “Interior Designs.”

Referencing Ancient Greek Sculpture, this series of paintings, created  at a time when the image of veiled women  was becoming more visible in our daily lives, continues the dialog of how we are veiled by circumstance, society, religion or fear. We limit and veil ourselves for modesty, mystery and protection.

Referencing ancient Greek sculpture, this is part of the Unveiling Series of paintings, created at a time when the image of veiled women was becoming more visible in our daily lives. It continues the dialog of how we are veiled by circumstance, society, religion or fear.

From the series that I called, "Our Lady of the Roses," to represent the essence of a divine healing realm, this piece contains relics of the past, ruins of civilization in counterpoint to nature. In this painting a translucent head of an ancient Roman sculpture floats or falls among translucent fortunes.

From the series that I called, "Our Lady of the Roses," to represent the essence of a divine healing realm, which contains relics of the past, ruins of civilization in counterpoint to nature. The cool white masculine figure is based on an Egyptian ram headed god. His fiery red feminine counterpart appeared as the painting progressed.   

Suspended in a dream state, the figures in this series are in various stages of cocooning and unwrapping, surrounded by abstracted ribcages. Begun in 2005, I revisited  the “Dreamers” in 2016-17. 

 Usually working in series, when I employ a reoccurring image, like the ribcage or roses, for example, I choose them for their literal and visual presence, and equally for what they symbolize. I use the ribcage for its butterfly-like shape, and its function as a cage for the heart. Simultaneously, it symbolizes the essential, the bare bones, as well as what remains behind.

Suspended in a dream state, the figures in the Dreamers series are in various stages of cocooning and unwrapping, surrounded by abstracted ribcages.

Usually working in series, when I employ a reoccurring image, like the ribcage or roses, for example, I choose it for its literal and visual presence, and equally for what it symbolizes. I use the ribcage for its butterfly-like shape, and its function as a cage for the heart. Simultaneously, it symbolizes the essential, the bare bones, as well as what remains behind.

Painted Drawing based on the quadriptych, Kouros Departure 2000. Figurative, expressive drawing, fantasy, organic, rooted figure, wearing tigerskin, winged figure.

Based on a self portrait done during my 1998 residency in New York City, combined with the Getty Kouros, the central figure is stepping forward between times, epochs, from darkness into light. In this 10 x 12 ft. four panel altarpiece I am conjuring up female images of strength and healing from traditional cultures.

The wailing pelvis with ribcage expands further in this piece with the ribs floating out to enclose the whole composition, including a muscled torso, all very expressively painted. It was first called Torso with Ribcage, but felt so powerful it needed a deeper title, thus: "Body and Soul."

This piece was a culmination of my Ribcage Butterfly series, which responded to considerable changes in our natural environment and our personal lives. Physically it presents layers of our existence. Symbolically, the bones represent what is essential and what remains behind. The pelvis represents creativity, reproduction, fertility, Mother Earth.

This diptych is a biomorphic symphony! It followed "Double Fetus Butterfly" with the backbone of that piece now expanded into a whole ribcage and the wailing pelvis divided, encircling the double fetus butterfly. An example in my work of the personal shifting into the universal is the Wailing Pelvis and Double Fetus Butterfly images, which came to me when I was painting my sorrow, as my grown sons were leaving home. However, as I painted, it became something much deeper, a wailing Mother Earth grieving for the loss of her children and the destruction of her environment. This ‘double fetus butterfly’ image that appears in much of my work, may have been a premonition of the vanishing butterflies.

This stunning image began with a personal loss, taken to my painting it developed into addressing a universal loss. The wailing pelvis image as well as the “double fetus butterfly” represents fertility, Mother Nature and her horror at the abuse and neglect of earth and the environment.

From the Series called, "Roman Ruins" painted after spending the summer in Italy, visiting all of the art that I had previously only seen in photographs. The Great Earth Mother is releasing a blood curdling howl in response to the outrageous disrespect, which she is suffering at the hands of mankind.

Among my first paintings, I painted this during the Persian Gulf crisis in 1991. Black oil and red blood strewn across the canvas became a self portrait with mask, that expanded to include a skeletal figure. I saw it as mother, daughter and holy ghost, discovering in retrospect that centuries before the patriarchal trinity prevailed, a female trinity held the collective’s central position of spiritual strength.

This was part of the last series of ceramic sculpture that I created before switching my focus to painting for two decades. This purposely heavy piece is richly textured with sea shell impressions. my intention was to make a series of large, weighty pieces that were very obviously of the earth before ascending into painting.

Influenced by the Bay Area Figurative focus on bodies in connection with nature, I interpreted this literally, with heads, feet, arms, and torsos sprouting leaves, flowers, roots, wings.

Influenced by the Bay Area Figurative focus on bodies in connection with nature, I interpreted that literally with heads, feet, arms, torsos each sprouting leaves, flowers, roots, wings.

A modular sculpture, for wall or pedestal.

Influenced by the Bay Area Figurative focus on bodies in connection with nature, I interpreted that literally with heads, feet, arms, torsos sprouting leaves, flowers, roots, wings.