We recently connected with Marian Fortunati and have shared our conversation below.
Marian, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
I was a teacher and a principal in my previous profession. There I learned to love learning and understood the importance of continual change and growth. My goal is to never stop learning new ways to see my surroundings and create art. I took up art because after almost 40 years as an educator, I wanted to continue on a journey of discovery. I didn’t want to retire and “rest”.
I was lucky to meet wonderful artists and mentors who helped me develop basic skills and allowed me to continue on my own path. Because it is so important to paint from life, my teachers encouraged me to get outside and paint “en plein air”. That also allowed me to explore new places and sites. While painting, one is surrounded by nature and allowed time to emotionally connect with a scene. The hope is that the painter can translate the feelings captured into a painted vision.
Because I believe there is no end to learning, I’m not sure that speeding up the learning process is important. I do wish I had more patience with myself and more discipline when it comes to actual drawing skills, but I often dash into “playing with paint” instead.
There is such a diversity of art. I have finally decided that the art I create might have a wide variety of inspirational roots, but it will always necessarily have to please my personal vision in the end.
I am constantly trying to develop better ways to bring abstract qualities into my work without losing my own sense of reality.
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 been painting for over 20 years but I didn’t set out to be an artist. I was a teacher. I was a science-geek. I am a wife and a parent. As I neared retirement I tried to figure out what I might do that would keep me interested and active after a totally all-encompassing career in education. I decided to take art classes. From there I began to explore and hike outdoors. I joined groups of artists on boat trips to the Channel Islands and on rafting trips down the Colorado River where we painted morning noon and night. I discovered a beautiful and engaging world outside the classroom.
I joined art groups and began to show my work and sell my work at exhibits and found how wonderful it was to share my views and those adventures through my paintings to viewers who could connect with the artwork and the places I’ve been. New friendships are sometimes formed from these painted connections.
Although I was a teacher for 40 years, I prefer not to teach art as a job, although I do love to share ideas and join others outside to paint.
I often travel with a group of six women exploring and painting in our “bucket list” of places around the country. We call ourselves the PAC6 and we have a museum show which will open in March of 2024 at the Santa Paula Art Museum. I hope you’ll find some time to see the show.
My art is also currently available on my website: https://www.marianfortunati.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
As an oil painter, my goal is to create a tapestry of design, value, color and texture into a pleasing expression of my own feeling about a place where I’ve had an experience or adventure. The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is seeing how my artistic creation can bring joy and positive emotions to a viewer. — Especially if the viewer wants to bring my artwork into their home or office so that they can enjoy it over and over again.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Probably the hardest lesson to unlearn (I’m still working on it) is although there are a myriad of skills and techniques to use making art, there is no one “right” way to make art. I am still plagued with the belief that if I just do everything a certain way, a painting will be “great”.
Yes, there are basics, but there is magic in a wonderful painting. Every judge of art will understand the basic elements which must be in a great piece of art, but not every judge of art will evaluate the same art in the same way. Some great artworks tend to break the rules in unique ways.
So I guess my science background might have opened my eyes up to the wonders of the natural world, But it also allowed me to believe that there is a sort of formula to creating art. I need to have all the basic skills available to use but I must unlearn my previous belief that that is all it takes. I must give myself over to the magic of art.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.marianfortunati.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marianfortunati/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OneLuckyArtist/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marian-fortunati-3b0a3715/