MEET THE ARTIST

Marcia Shaver was raised in the Columbia River Gorge community of The Dalles, Oregon. She is proud to be a 5th generation Northwesterner, as she is deeply tied to the spirit and beauty of the Pacific Northwest. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Oregon in Art Education, with masters and travel studies in Europe and Asia. An accomplished transparent watercolorist, Marcia is currently working in oil and acrylic. She has a series of 4 prints of Northwest Landmark images and 7 postcards available, which are published in Seattle and distributed regionally. Her prints and original paintings are featured in private and corporate collections internationally. She has a strong background of teaching art and art history both at home and abroad. Marcia is the former President of Eastside Association of Fine Arts, an organization she has been actively involved in since 1990. Additionally, she in a member of Plein Air Painters of Washington.

Marcia is an interpretive landscape painter. Her style is realistic, yet it reflects her vision of the world as she imagines it might be. Her colorful images are cheerful and upbeat. When asked what motivates her, Marcia states, " I am intrigued by the human elements intertwined with the natural landscape. Most of my paintings contain architectural components, whether it is a boat at anchor or a walled European village. I portray very few people in my work. I find comfort and serenity in the self-contained feeling that you are alone and peaceful, but there is the presence of others represented. I really love Plein Air Painting because you are immersed in the natural environment. You are much closer to everything that you are trying to represent in a landscape. You feel the sun on your face, the wind in your hair, and the rapidly changing weather, light and shadows as they speed across your view. Everything is dynamic, and you are forced to make quick, intuitive decisions as your canvas moves and flexes with the breeze. Your painting takes on a life of it's own and you capture the essence of the place. I believe that your images retain a much fresher, more personal portrayal that encourages the viewer to want to step into that magical place. These vignettes of light and color make me happy and it is important to me to share that positive vision with others. I believe in Emerson's statement, " Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not." I try to carry it with me every second of my life."

For information on artwork currently available, commissioning a painting, or art tours, please contact Marcia Shaver at The Artist's Journey.