Inspired by Water

Cover Artist Marcia Holmes

by Poki Hampton

IN FEBRUARY 2020, artist Marcia Holmes, who had just returned from her sixth teaching engagement, this time at The Mississippi School of Folk Art in Natchez, repacked her bags and planned to join the “Palate to Palette” tour in Spain to paint.

Then came the call for the COVID shutdown. Luckily, Marcia had taken many photographs from her 2019 travels to New York City and Albuquerque. “On the outskirts of Albuquerque, I discovered Shady Lake, a gorgeous place with water lilies, cottonwood trees and mountains in the background.” These photos served as inspiration for paintings to come. Marcia created colorful abstracts using spring and flowers for inspiration. “I was painting, painting and painting,” says Marcia, “but at the end of April, I started to feel the isolation. Art is a healing antidote so I would go out by the lake behind my house taking photos of waterlilies, water hyacinth and wild iris.” She also went to her daughter’s camp in the Honey Island Swamp, where she could see the many colors reflected in the Pearl River. “Twilight on the bayou is breathtaking.” Thus, the Honey Island Series was created.

Marcia has always been connected to and inspired by waterways, reflections and the fauna flowing within the water. “Nature and water’s essence are the source of life and continue to inspire my work in pastel, oil and mixed media. >>

I like to look at a landscape with the trees and sky reflecting in the water, and I take three of those resources and part of a cloud’s reflection or part of a plant to incorporate into the painting.” For Marcia, creating a new painting is like solving a puzzle with a surprise drip here and a splash of color there until it becomes pleasing to the eye. “It sometimes surprises me and takes me along a different path. I strive to amplify and expand the breadth and depth of my work from my own abstract impressionist manner to a new direction.”

For almost exactly 21 years, Marcia has been creating beautiful works of art, working methodically, choosing paint colors and pastels before she begins. She then puts in blocks of color, which become the background and the base for the whole painting. She says, “I believe that 70 percent of painting success is in the underpainting, making a base for the whole.”

Inspiration for color can come from anywhere, a lily pond or a brightly colored fish in an aquarium.

“Once, while at a hotel, a tropical fish caught my eye. Its color was so amazingly electric-blue, with red and olive green, all so beautiful together.” Those colors were inspiration for a new piece.

“Marcia’s pastels reflect the tradition and aesthetic of Edgar Degas, an extraordinary pastelist, combining vibrant color, captivating composition and fine detail,” says Cybele Gontar, owner of the Degas Gallery, where Marcia’s work will be exhibited from March 1 to April 30.

Over the years, Marcia has received many, many awards for her work. In 2019, she was named the Visual Artist of the Year at the St. Tammany Parish President’s Arts Awards. Past Parish President Pat Brewster said of the event: “This event is our way of saying thank you to our local artists, our art patrons, and to all of our residents, for your continued investment in the arts, and the future of the arts, for our community.”

In addition to the St. Tammany award, Marcia has attained Master Pastelist and Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America. She is also in the Master Circle of the International Association of Pastel Artists and has participated in juried exhibits around the world, including the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans; Lauren Rogers Museum of Art in Laurel, Mississippi; Koehnline Museum of Art in Des Plaines, Illinois; and The Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio.

Marcia Holmes’ work can be seen at Armbruster Artworks in Covington and at Degas Gallery in New Orleans. A complete résumé of her accomplishments can be seen at MarciaHolmes.com. Her upcoming solo exhibition will be at the Degas Gallery the months of March and April. With COVID, please call for hours.