Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Marita Glodt. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Marita, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I am a landscape painter. When I am drawing or painting in the field I hear bird song or I observe a fallen tree that has become a sanctuary for new life – bright green moss, a nuthatch habitat or a winter shelter for a squirrel. Trees that before they fell, commanded the woods and were the subject of another artist’s longing or a child’s play, now breathe new life for years after they fall. When I observe them, I don’t see dead fall, I see incubators of new life and inspirations for another motif.

My journey each season through the Berkshires of Massachusetts takes me through farms and orchards, across forests and nature preserves, inside waterfalls, under trees, on lakes and nearby swamps and streams, past rainstorms, morning light and to the edge of riverbanks. My art has lifted me through these difficult times and has helped me navigate and find joy in the simplest and yet most exquisite things.

Yes, I am very happy as an artist with no regrets about leaving a “regular” job.

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?

10 years ago I decided to follow a dream that began when I was a child growing up in Oregon and my mother enrolled me at age 11 in the children’s program at the Portland Art Museum. My teacher was LaVerne Krause, a noted Oregon artist and from her I learned to appreciate and draw the spectacular Oregon visitas.

After college and a successful career in business, I realized that the enjoyment I felt as a child could be the beginning of a full-time passion and I began a 2 year Fine Arts program – The Landscape Atelier, with prominent landscape painter, Deborah Paris. The Landscape Atelier gave me the tools and the insight I needed to begin my journey. I learned that sustained observation is a critical element of painting the landscape. and I began to practice with what Deborah calls “pure seeing” in her excellent book, Painting the Woods: Nature, Memory and Metaphor. “Pure seeing” fuels my memory and allows me to recall a Berkshire sunset, a crescent moon, an extraordinary sky or the structure of an ancient tree. My art is enhanced by my work in the field and also by my memory. My painting style is contemporary Tonalism and I paint in oil on linen panels. I try to infuse my work with subtle color effects and close values, creating atmosphere and mystery.

My clients have a deep appreciation for the Berkshires (where I live much of the year) and they want a piece of it in their homes whether they live here or are visiting. The water, land and sky of this landscape is captivating and there is always a new way to present it visually. I love its diversity and I want my clients to know how important it is to preserve it and enjoy it.

Is there a mission driving your creative journey?

The world’s landscape is threatened. Each year I see evidence of the subtle changes that signal dire consequences. I want my art to inspire conservation and preservation, because I paint what is still beautiful. How can we observe the diversity and magnificence of a changing season and a painting that represents an artist’s vision of that, without hope for the future.

I want those who view my art to visit the places that inspired my paintings. When I have a show or sell a painting I share the painting’s journey and hope that it encourages a love of nature that promotes our shared responsibility to preserve and protect.

Some day I may paint the ravages of climate change. I am not prepared to do that yet. My time in the field still gives me hope.

What do you find most rewarding about being creative?

I came to my art later in life than most artists. Sharing and collaborating with artists, young and older that I meet online or in workshops is an aspect of my creative journey that is most rewarding. We are solitary workers and social and intellectual connections are elements that have resulted in changes and improvements in my art. I am inspired by the extraordinary creativity of the young artists that I meet. I share my business acumen with them and they share their boundless exuberance and technical skills with me. I am relieved that as an older artist, my older colleagues are as anxious as I am to learn as much as possible and to create every day during this second chapter of our lives. We share our challenges and are exhilarated and celebrate our successes.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.maritaglodt.com
• Instagram: maritaglodt
• Facebook: Marita O’Dea Glodt Landscape Painter

Image Credits
Crescent Moon River, Oil on Linen Panel, 18″x13″ Stockbridge Spring, Oil on Linen Panel, 24″ x 36″ First Snow at Twilight, Oil on Linen Panel, 15″x30″ Entwined, Oil on Linen Panel, 8″x24″ Autumn Sky, Oil on Linen Panel, 24″x36″ Artist: Marita Glodt