Mixed Media – but No Mixed Messages
from Marilyn Stevens

Minneapolis artist Marilyn Stevens is generating considerable attention in the art and design world. Her mixed media artistry, which combines traditional handwork techniques with imagery, text, handmade paper, textiles and other elements, has been on display in galleries (including the Phipps in Hudson, Wisconsin, and the Museum of American Art in St. Paul, Minnesota), corporate settings and homes throughout the country. GunkelmanFlesher, which recently began representing Ms. Stevens, is pulling back the curtain to showcase some of her distinctive style – both her art and her words.

Before you became a successful artist, did you have a different career?

My background is in design. I was director of merchandising for Room and Board for 10 years.

But I left a year ago to recharge and reenergize. I took a break.  I traveled. I created my web site. Now I’m a full-time artist and design consultant.

How long have you been an artist?

I picked up my first paintbrush when I was 35 years old.  So, 15 years ago. I took a portraiture class at MCAD. In the beginning, I was really bad.  Really bad.

Over time, I was able to hone my craft. But it certainly was not an overnight thing.

Why do you work in mixed media?

I’m drawn to the diverse textural quality of it.  It’s not as limiting as one medium.

There’s a real push and a pull to what I do. I like the art of building up and taking away.

It’s experiential. It’s intuitive.  It’s certainly different.

Do you have a favorite medium?

Primarily I create collages – working with paper and textiles.  But I’m always open to new experiences.

I enjoy reinterpreting and re-presenting traditional things in non-traditional ways.

For example, recently I’ve been working with deconstructing and reconstructing dress forms. Dress, in a way, is very much like doing a portrait. I see the forms as being symbolic of the female… the female voice.

They also appeal to me on a personal level because I grew up sewing. My mother sewed. My grandmother sewed. Of course, my mother would laugh and say, “I could never get Marilyn in a dress!”

What influences your choices?

Everyday things influence me. My mother’s Alzheimer’s, for example. I’m marking each stage of her disease.

Words and text inform my art. I have a poet friend with whom I often collaborate. His poetry will inspire me to do something different.  The 11 Shirts piece (which hangs in GF’s New York office) features a line of a poem in each shirt label. Reading from left to right, the poem is revealed to you. It deals with self image – wearing what you can’t say.

Interesting materials influence my work.  Lots of different kinds: textiles, papers, even shapes like vintage hat forms – all can inspire and influence.

How would you categorize your work?

Contemporary.  Modern.

My husband Gregg is a furniture maker. I’d classify his work as contemporary too. And, while our work complements each other, it also contrasts.  I’m much more organic – not nearly so precise.  His approach is very exact. Very measured.

Three words to describe yourself?

Authentic
Creative
Resourceful

To see more of Marilyn, go to www.marilynstevens.com.