Fix, 2018 Resin, acrylic, powdered paint, and abalone shells on canvas 127 x 81.3 cm 50 x 32 inches © Helen Marden. Photo: Rob McKeever.
Presented in her 2019 exhibition Tivoli, Fix is one of many stunning pieces that showcases Marden’s exploration of color and space. Using raw pigment mixed with resin to pour over the canvas, she manipulates it with acrylic paint and the abalone shells while the resin hardens. The end result is an artwork that has a lot of personality and emotion.
When I first saw this work, I fell in love with how gestural the work feels. It has a lot of movement in it that reminds me of the sway of long dresses. Marden’s use of abalone shells makes it very intrinsic. All four elements within nature can be depicted with the artwork. Air, Water, and Fire can be represented with the movement and Earth can be represented with the abalone shells. Marden’s use of color makes the artwork stand out as bright primary colors are used along with silver from the abalones. Texture is used superbly as you clearly see where the resin has hardened over previous layers. Each piece in this exhibit is made up of the same materials, each telling a new story. I highly encourage checking out the rest of the artworks.