My paintings change with the times, often 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. Specific to these works my process is one of adding and subtracting, putting down and covering up, until following one direction becomes more and more difficult. For me, painting can be a form of venting, a release, while simultaneously being meditative and nourishing. Color, texture and movement are my primary elements.
In "kinder/gentler" moments I paint places I dream up – a recurring theme of mine since art school – either by subconscious recollection or my own invention. “Landscape” is often suggested by the inclusion of a horizon, or a moon, or both, or several of each. I am an avid sky watcher, I love watching clouds and seeing the weather change, and have felt most at home living by water. I think of these landscapes as “realistic fantasies," as they teeter 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 due to the wreckless nature of mankind. Oftentimes my work is 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
Postscript: I recently came across the word "Phantasmagoria" which is defined as "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 must have been Italian in a past life.
In "kinder/gentler" moments I paint places I dream up – a recurring theme of mine since art school – either by subconscious recollection or my own invention. “Landscape” is often suggested by the inclusion of a horizon, or a moon, or both, or several of each. I am an avid sky watcher, I love watching clouds and seeing the weather change, and have felt most at home living by water. I think of these landscapes as “realistic fantasies," as they teeter 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 due to the wreckless nature of mankind. Oftentimes my work is 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
Postscript: I recently came across the word "Phantasmagoria" which is defined as "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 must have been Italian in a past life.
