Nature’s endless creativity and intricate forms serve as a timeless muse.
About Marielle Uprichard
Marielle, born in Cape Town, South Africa in 1954, has had a distinguished career in the arts that spans continents and decades. She embarked on her artistic journey after earning an Arts degree from Stellenbosch University. Her early career was marked by her work with a Swedish textile company, where she honed her skills as a designer. This period was foundational, allowing her to blend practical design skills with her burgeoning creative vision.
Parallel to her professional endeavours, Marielle maintained her own artistic practice, continually striving to refine and express her individual vision. This dual engagement in both commercial and personal art realms enriched her experience and broadened her artistic perspective.
In 1997, Marielle relocated to the United Kingdom, where she found new avenues to share her passion and expertise in art. She became actively involved with various community groups, utilising art in therapeutic settings. This work underscored her belief in the transformative power of creativity, and her ability to inspire and heal through artistic expression became a significant aspect of her contribution to the community.
Marielle has showcased her evolving artistry in numerous exhibitions both in Cape Town and London. These exhibitions have allowed her to reach a diverse audience and establish a presence in the international art scene. Her works have been celebrated for their depth and vibrancy, capturing the attention of art enthusiasts and critics alike.
Over the years, Marielle’s artistic style evolved significantly. Moving away from the constraints of realistic form, her mature works now epitomise a sublime expression of colour. Her art has become a vehicle for pure emotional and sensory experiences, transcending traditional boundaries.
Marielle reflects on this evolution, stating, “I have discovered a great freedom within myself in using colour as a vehicle to manifest my thoughts and feelings. The colour is no longer bound by form but expands onto the canvas or board to evoke a memory or a vision of a horizon; a threshold experience from which colours either emerge or recede as they are infused by light or darkness.” This shift towards a more abstract and expressive use of colour allows her to communicate more profoundly with her audience, inviting viewers to experience the interplay of light, darkness, and emotion in her work.
Marielle’s journey from a textile designer in South Africa to a celebrated artist exhibiting in Cape Town and London illustrates her unwavering commitment to artistic exploration and expression. Her work continues to inspire, offering glimpses into the depth of her creative spirit and the boundless possibilities of colour.
Visually captivating and evocatively expressive
Artistic approach
In her artistic practice, Marielle embraces a diverse range of mixed mediums to bring depth and texture to her compositions. One of her favoured materials is cold wax, which she skilfully combines with oil paints to achieve layered, luminescent effects. This medium allows her to build up surfaces that invite tactile exploration and create a sense of depth and dimension. Additionally, Marielle experiments with various natural materials such as sand, leaves, porcupine quills and mica, integrating these elements into her work to infuse it with an organic and earthy quality. By incorporating these materials, she not only enriches the visual and textural complexity of her pieces but also establishes a profound connection with the natural world. Her innovative approach to using mixed mediums and natural elements enables her to explore the interplay between texture, colour, and form, resulting in artworks that are both visually captivating and evocatively expressive.