We were lucky to catch up with Marley Blauch recently and have shared our conversation below.
Marley, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
The most meaningful project that I have worked on has absolutely been my installation, “My World,” composed of televisions, wooden tables, cardboard, screen printed wallpaper, oil paint, and acrylic paint, and was installed in the Kamil Gallery at UC San Diego in May of 2023. It was an incredible experience for me to observe the subject matter, processes, and ideas that I have dealt with in my painting and drawing practices enter a 3 dimensional space, as these elements that I had felt so personally immersed in became physical and could be experienced by others. I have never dedicated myself so fully to anything before this project, the process of idea to its manifestation spanning across almost an entire year, so it was beyond rewarding to view the concepts and subjects I have dealt with over many years materialize as an installation. I began dreaming up this project in summer of 2022, as its creation depended upon my receiving a grant to acquire various materials, so I worked incredibly hard on my application over many months to ensure that I was communicating and illustrating my ideas as clearly as I could. After being granted the funds for my project, I began locating and collecting all of my materials, including but not limited to oil paint, silkscreens, wooden tables, and televisions that I purchased from a warehouse in Los Angeles specializing in 20th century technology. I immersed myself in this project over many months, often working late into the night, within multiple studios on campus at UC San Diego where I screen printed wallpaper and painted patterns on various objects, and also in my studio at home oil painting cardboard cutouts. I meticulously and thoughtfully created the many elements of this project, my very first installation, all on my own, and I am incredibly proud of this piece. I learned so much about myself as an artist as this project came to fruition, and it was a beautiful experience to observe others interacting with and appreciating this work that I felt was representative of myself.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I have absolutely adored art for as long as I can remember, and have always possessed the desire to create. Throughout my childhood, my parents encouraged me to embrace my passion and follow my dreams, filling our home with art, taking my to museums, and signing me up for every art class or camp they could find. I have therefore gained experiences with various practices and mediums and diverse artists. I studied visual arts at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts in High school, am now earning my Studio Art major and Art History minor at UC San Diego, and I am currently studying abroad in London at Sotheby’s Institute of Art. Although I enjoy exploring different realms of the art world, I am an oil painter through and through, and am confident that this will always be my deepest passion. I am incredibly proud of my growth as an artist and how much I have learned from my own practice, other artists, and from museums and galleries, as I have remained actively immersed in the art word by all means possible throughout most of my life. I believe that I stand out simply due to my passion for and dedication to my art, which I hope is palpable through myself and my work. I hope for people to enjoy and connect within my work, and that it contributes to a broader appreciation for art along with greater sense of inclusion and belonging within the art world.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
To me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is simply the fulfillment that I gain from creating art. I never feel more like myself than when I am engaging with art in some way, and it is incredibly rewarding to view as my ideas manifested onto a canvas or to observe others appreciating and connecting with my work. Art has become my outlet and the means by which I feel I am able to most meaningfully and deeply express myself, and I am always very proud to create a work that I feel is brimming with personal significance and is a true representation of me. Art has become integral within every aspect of my life, and it is beyond rewarding to reflect upon how much I have truly learned and grown from being an artist.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
I firmly believe that, in order to foster create a more lively and flourishing global creative ecosystem, we as humans must work to dissipate the sense of inaccessibility within the art world. Due to the means by which many arts institutions were originally established, they possess an inherent association with status and exclusivity that deters people from engaging with art because these spaces often feel out of reach. I believe that we must actively work to shift these notions embedded in the art world that prevail within its various social, cultural, and educational sectors, and that doing so will inspire more diverse groups and individuals to engage with art, therefore ultimately creating space for more universal creative support. I have become especially passionate about this issue after studying in London over the last few months, as museums and galleries are free and open to all, which I feel is incredibly valuable because anyone is able to engage with art and more feel compelled to do so. I believe that there is so much beauty in art and so much to be learned from it, so I hope that the art world will one day eventually become a space where all people feel included and excited by art, hopefully inspiring more to express themselves creatively. Art is for everyone, and our institutions should recognize and reflect this!
Contact Info:
- Website: marleyblauch.com
- Instagram: @artofmarley
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marley-blauch-b61380292