An Inside Look At The Magic of Kevin Marion's Artwork

After months of admiring the ultra unique, vivid and alluring artwork of Kevin Marion on Linkedin, facebook and instagram...I got the chance to interview him and see what the secret magic to his art is all about.   

It was clear after my first question for where the magic comes from…but I’ll get to that later. First, here’s a description of how he creates his intricate, vibrant and fluid artwork.  

“I’m a very visual person. I seem to be subject to Pareidolia all the time. That is, seeing faces and objects in random patterns when they’re not really there. Most people experience this from time to time, like seeing an animal shape in the clouds. The method I’ve developed to creating my artwork is very much a form of Pareidolia, as I’m always discovering and finding the next detail of one work and using it to create the next one. It’s a fun game for me, very therapeutic. I have another method of creating art...I make a 3D sculpture on a software called SketchUp that I use for my architectural work, place myself inside and then zoom around to find the perfect composition. I will render this and then finish it up in photoshop. These pieces tend to be more geometric than my fluid looking pieces.”       

“That sounds fascinating!” 

“I really enjoy it. The zooming process to find the next piece is very sustainable. I guess I could do that forever…til the end of time! Which gives me some comfort.”

“That sounds so cool...so digital abstract is your main medium?”

“I like lots of different mediums but abstract digital is my focus for now. I’ve been creating the kind of art I’m working on now off and on for about 20 years, constantly adjusting and refining the process. Just recently...oh, within the past couple years, I’ve been trying to market my artwork. My hope is to transition from architecture full time to art full time.” 

“Do you have a set time to create?” 

“No (he says laughing) I’m pretty busy with family and architecture...whenever I get the chance. I will often lose sleep to create art.” 

“So you create on your computer at home and then where do you print?”  

“I have limited editions that are printed in Denver...@reedart&imaging. They create limited edition prints for @hnwgallery, who represents me. Reed sent me a sample print and I was sold. I was really impressed. They use the top of the line art paper and then the best crystal clear acrylic that protects the art and gives it amazing depth. They use a proprietary gel adhesive called Diasec that guarantees against yellowing and delamination. With a solid acrylic back the piece ends up being just a bit more than 3/8” thick.   

“So the limited edition prints are done in Denver...where are your original pieces printed?”

“Since I create on the computer and thousands of copies could be made, I’ve established my originals as being a “one-off” print to sheet aluminum. The original pieces are done at @imagewizards in Lexington, North Carolina. That’s about 25 minutes from me. Their specialty is dye sublimation on to sheet aluminum. A certificate of authenticity is provided which guarantees that’s the only one that will ever be produced at that size.” 

“Sheet aluminum...that’s cool. You have many positive people and companies that you work with...are there any other companies you've enjoyed working with relating to your artwork?

"Yes! One very exciting opportunity I have at the moment is with a company called Jan's Custom Rugs, owned by Jan and Pat Fowler in Milwaukee. They work with some of the best traditional rug weavers in the world. Their master weaver, Ifrah is in the process of translating my digital work into a luxury rug product. The work is incredibly tedious and so far what I've seen on the progress her talents are phenomenal!"

"Wow...I'd like to see the that! Ok, let’s see -- do you have a favorite artist?”

“A favorite artist? Gosh, there’s lots. An artist couple - Allyson and Alex Grey. Their style of visionary art is very influential to my own artwork, especially Alex’s artwork that he’s created for the progressive heavy metal band, Tool, one of my favorite bands. I like surrealism - Salvador Dali, H.R. Giger, Heironymus Bosch...I truly enjoy lots and lots of artists' work. I enjoy fantasy art, Frank Frazetta, Boris Vallejo and many of the artists of the Magic & Gathering card game. Then there are the abstract artists...too many from history to mention, but there is also an amazing amount of great art being created today. Social media platforms have made it much more possible to connect with other artists across the world.”   

“What would you like highlighted about your artwork?”

“My hope is that it brings joy and interest to the people who view it. Even if I was isolated from the rest of the world I would still enjoy making the art but it’s a bonus to be able to share it and see and hear people’s reactions.”

“It’s always uplifting to see your posts of artwork on Linkedin.”  

“Thank you, I appreciate that.”   

“I was reading in your biography about contextual expressionism in architecture. Can you elaborate on that?” 

“That’s something I developed in college at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte and then during my masters at the University of Colorado in Denver. Whenever I approach an architectural design, I look at the context...whether it’s in an open field or a downtown urban context. I’m always looking at the setting and boundaries where I’m designing. I’ve got to take into consideration what the owners want, budgets and psychological and physical boundaries of the site. The thought of the designer is always affected by his or her surroundings.

“You’ve earned lots of awards...is there one you’re most proud of?” 

“I don’t know about a lot, but architecturally one stands out to me, The Yadkin Cultural Arts Center. That was a really fun project about ten years ago. I got to incorporate my artwork into the architecture. That’s my favorite one that got some attention. And the owner was very willing to let me do whatever I needed to do. More recently I had a fantastic opportunity with my art, winning one of five spots with an amazing organization, @artpopstreetgallery. They provide a platform for local artists to win an entire year of advertising space on a gigantic billboard. My win was in 2016 and my piece, “Cylinders 7” was on display off a very busy, major interstate here in North Carolina for a whole year!   

“Wow...that’s nice.”

“Both were very nice and rare opportunities.”     

“Yeah, I bet. So do you approach your artwork like you do architecture?”

“There’s a lot more ability to freely create with artwork than architecture. They both have the aspect of designing but with art I am more in control of the limitations.”  

“That makes sense. So do your kids enjoy art as well?”  

“They all do very much but they’re more into musical arts. They get that talent from my wife who is a fantastic trumpet player. I love music very much, but musically, I have close to zero talent. My oldest daughter plays the flute and my son plays the trombone. The twins are looking forward to choosing an instrument for band in a few years. I can’t wait to see what they play. They all like drawing and coloring, although they don’t draw as much as I did as a kid.”

“Well, we all have our different talents. And you certainly have talent with visual arts. So, (back to my first question) when did you get interested in art?”  

“Oh, all my life...yeah, a long time. My parents are both artists. They met at Ringling College of Art & Design in Florida. My dad was a commercial illustrator for R.J. Reynolds. He does oil and pencil portraits and acrylic landscapes. My mother is amazing at portraits (people and pets!) and southwerstern art. My brother and I grew up surrounded by the arts. We grew up drawing, sketching and creating things.”  

There you have it...the magic is in his DNA, environment and passion for art. The result is self-evident. What brings Kevin joy to create, brings joy to his viewers.  

You can view more of Kevin’s artwork on Linkedin, HNWgallery, facebook and instagram.  

https://hnwgallery.com/product-category/all-artwork/?filter_artist=kevin-marion 

?www.instagram.com/taoksm_art

www.facebook.com/taoksm

Kevin Marion is married to his highschool sweetheart, Susan and lives in Mocksville, NorthCarolina with their four children, Hazel, Silas, Ruby and Iris. You can reach out to Kevin at [email protected]