Dawn Marr Portraits

September 27, 2005 – January 6, 2006
Portraits in the Technique Mixte

Click here for images...

Dawn Marr says of her luminous, intricately rendered portraits that “God is in the details”. Those details bring the people portrayed to life with intimacy and warmth, as if we are invited into their homes. Marr’s portraits record those everyday details that imprint on young children’s minds, such as a grandparent’s wallpaper pattern, plaques with aphorisms hung on the kitchen wall, the folds and age spots on a grandparent’s hands, handmade quilts, the texture of a favorite fleece vest, things that bring the person’s presence flooding back when encountered in adulthood.

Light seems to emanate from her sitters’ faces and hands, which are painted with a linear clarity that recalls masters such as Albrecht Durer and Jan Van Eyck. In fact, Marr uses Van Eyck’s “Technique Mixte” method, combining multiple translucent layers of oils to achieve light and detail. The paintings are drawn as much as they are painted, and she states that drawing is the foundation of all her work. Several of her charcoal portraits are on display as well.

Dawn Marr has exhibited widely in the region and beyond, including the Chautauqua Institute, The Impact Gallery in Buffalo, Punta Gorda, Florida, and Monflanquin, France. She is a regular at the Erie Art Museum Annual Spring Show, where she received a juror’s award this year. Her numerous other awards include the Best of Show at the Westmoreland Art Nationals.