Marli Thibodeau — Artist’s Biography

Studio: Rockland, ME
Born: Hudson Valley, NY

Marli Thibodeau is a contemporary artist born in the Hudson Valley of NY, currently living in Rockland, Maine.  She is immersed in the study of the landscape around her and the inner landscape of self-discovery through movement and visual art.

Influenced by the natural world and the lineage of Abstract Expressionism, artists such as Helen Frankenthaler, Perle Fine, and Franz Kline have inspired her direction toward non-objective paintings.

Studying painting and commercial art in High School, and later on a nature-based martial art, she credits her early teachers for cultivating her love of the arts.

In 2015, with Karen Divine, she conceived the Being Set Free project, a global collaboration of artists: www.karendivinephotography.com/marlis-story-being-set-free.

She returned to painting again in 2018, and is continuing her studies with Steven Aimone, at residencies in Thomaston, Maine, and Montreat North Carolina. Thibodeau is currently focusing on her emerging body of abstract work.

Thibodeau finds that movement reveals our inner state, a reflection of our interior world both in painting and dance. Thibodeau says: “I believe that everyone has a unique way of expressing the experience of who they are, and I’ve discovered that mine is through un-choreographed visual and movement art.

“As I paint, I am continuously responding to what is here in the moment – to the instinctual connection of what is rising on the inside and how it is expressing in relation to what is on the canvas, creating a dialog between myself and my work.”

Her paintings do not reference recognizable form and the lack of clear references are key elements in her work. The works are composed of opaque and transparent layers representing the ongoing dialog between painter and painting. By questioning what is here now, present within, she creates intense personal moments on the canvas.

Thibodeau maintains a year-round studio in Rockland, Maine, and teaches Azul Conscious Movement, a path of personal transformation.

Artist’s Statement:

I work in non-objective composition, creating a bridge between my inner world and the material world. At any given time, I am working on many paintings simultaneously. I create an orchestra of paintings around me, a back-and-forth of listening and response, not just to one painting but to the whole room of paintings.

I create layered textures in acrylic and drawing mediums, applying opaque and transparent marks on paper or canvas. I perceive my painting practice as a visual dance, with my mark-making as gestures and my color choices as emotions. This approach requires me to remain open to possibility rather than having a set outcome in mind.

The landscapes of Maine always infuse me with a sense of awe and appreciation. I create my work to give voice to a wild sense of beauty, the excitement of discovery, and to nurture the spark of what is possible.

Marli’s website: www.marlithibodeau.com