Click here to receive a notification when they become available.
This process is an exploration of texture and color, aiming to capture not just the visual but the sensory spirit of Spring. As I combine green washes of color with the gritty texture of sand, I find myself weaving a narrative that's both personal and universal, a homage to the fleeting beauty of early blooms.
In these new works, I've adopted a novel approach by cutting and reassembling the canvas as I am building the composition. This process of fragmentation and integration challenges traditional compositional norms, infusing each piece with a dynamic sense of resurgence. It's a reflection on transformation and the subtle interplay between continuity and change.
ISSI Éditions is the leading publisher of fine books in Lille, France. This hardcover volume is printed in a limited edition and spans the past five years of my work with full color reproductions, interviews and links to exclusive videos. It will become available for purchase worldwide this September.
The publication will feature QR codes linking to exclusive videos that showcase my process in depth. The videos range between three to ten minutes each, approximately an hour of viewing time in total.*
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Press Release
Marina Savashynskaya Dunbar: Ways of Seeing
September 2 - 30, 2023
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 2nd, 6-8pm
Octavia Art Gallery is pleased to present Marina Savashynskaya Dunbar: Ways of Seeing. This is the first solo exhibition at the gallery for the artist.
"I approach abstraction similarly to how an author may approach a work of fiction. In an imagined narrative an author crafts characters and constructs an environment for them to exist. It is a place built purely out of imagination but no matter how fantastical or surreal the story may be, there are still aspects that have to remain believable in order for readers to connect with the story. However, “believable" doesn’t mean true or logical or sensical. Believable means there is a common ground between imagined reality and actual reality. That common ground is a mystery, but it exists on some plane of the human experience and it’s the author’s job to investigate it. For me abstraction, like fiction, explores the pursuit of connection suspended between many levels of imagination and familiarity.
My relationship with the process is very physical. When engaging with the canvas, I am considering how the arrangement and folds will influence the composition. This process is as rooted in the physical construction of form as it is propelled by the medium’s inherent fluidity. Over time, I study the material to predict how it will move, how it will stain, how it will dry. The practice is akin to rehearsing, allowing me to understand my own decisions and impulses."
- Marina Savashynskaya Dunbar
Savashynskaya Dunbar was born in Minsk, Belarus and moved to the United States at the age of nine. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Columbus State University. Most recent exhibitions were at Laura Rathe Fine Art, TX; Spalding Nix Fine Art, GA; Samuel Owen Gallery, FL; ABV Gallery, GA; and the Gibbes Museum of Art, SC. Her works are included in public collections at the Ritz-Carlton, FL; Cheveron Headquarters, CA; Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, NY; Mount Sinai, NY, among others. Savashynskaya Dunbar currently resides in Charleston, South Carolina.
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These are a selection of works from my Sandflower series; a collection of intimately sized paintings that explore texture, shadow and depth on a miniature scale.
Pictured: 14 x 11 inches each
I often find that working small brings as much of a challenge as a large canvas. It is a practice rooted in decision and restraint. In my process, a small surface allows for minimal mark-making and layering before a composition that was once prominent grows absent. This challenge encourages me to consider the impact of each gesture in a deeper context.
The Sandflower pieces are intended to feel both tangible and atmospheric. They are characterized by expanding layers that reveal a vivid center, conveying depth and intimacy in equal measure.
Click here to be notified of new painitngs, exhibitions and events.
]]>ISSI Éditions is the leading publisher of fine books in Lille, France. This hardcover volume is printed in a limited edition and spans the past five years of my work with full color reproductions, interviews and links to exclusive videos. It will become available for purchase worldwide this September. All profits from sales will be donated to benefit Ukrainian refugees via Rescue.org
The publication will feature QR codes linking to exclusive videos that showcase my process in depth. The videos range between three to ten minutes each, approximately an hour of viewing time in total.*
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I am pleased to share a preview of my upcoming solo exhibition at the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, South Carolina.
Click here to receive a complete digital catalog of new works.
Blue Orchid, 48 x 72 inches, water based mixed media on canvas
The title of the exhibition – Fluent Form – refers to the practice of exploring opposing concepts such as density, fragility, continuity, and impermanence within the same material. As one progression leads to the next, I study the medium without premeditation, remaining sensitive to nuances within the process.
A Wind Within, 48 x 48 inches, sand and acrylic on canvas
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Natural elements such as dry pigments and sand are introduced in these paintings. Sand is a physical object, yet its existence is a representation of the passage of time. It is the result of rock erosion and it is a material that continually assembles into new patterns. In the Buddhist tradition, sand is used to convey beauty and ephemerality through the construction and subsequent destruction of mandalas. Using these themes as anchors of inspiration, the works evoke impressions of dunes, flora, and natural phenomena while departing from a faithful rendering of reality.
Garden III, 36 x 48 inches, sand and acrylic on canvas
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Splendor, 40 x 40 inches, water based mixed media and graphite on canvas
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New sculptural works make a debut appearance in this exhibition. The sculptures are made with sand and dry pigments. The sand is mixed with various binders until the material reaches a consistency similar to clay. The approach to building three-dimensional forms is similar to my manner of painting. I embark on the process with a buoyant idea of an outcome while allowing the material’s unique challenges to dictate aspects of the composition.
Exhibition Details:
The Gibbes Museum of Art
135 Meeting St. Charleston, SC. 29401
February 4th - March 20th, 2022
Artist Talk: March 19th, 3:00 P.M.
Film: The Visiting Artist Series is produced by the Gibbes Museum of Art and directed by Gavin Shelton.
The Visiting Artist Series features eight artists annually whose work contributes to a new understanding of art in the South. ₁ While in residence, artists are encouraged to create a body of work in response to artwork present in the Gibbes Collection or current exhibition programing. Throughout my residency, I will be considering concepts and themes in the sculptural installation Betwixt and Between by Patrick Dougherty in the museum’s glass atrium.
Film: The Visiting Artist Series is produced by the Gibbes Museum of Art and directed by Gavin Shelton.
I often think about painting in three dimensions, rather than two. When engaging with the surface in a three dimensional manner, I am considering how the spacial presence of the canvas will shape the composition. I manipulate the work’s surface as paint moves across, leaving a tangible history of its path. I make a conscious effort to maintain control while allowing extraneous elements to influence the painting with equal liberty. The physicality of the process builds the visual language of the piece.
Dougherty’s work resonates with me through its captivating ability to translate movement by means of stationary object while emanating an energy that connects viscerally with observers. I am intrigued by the artist’s ability to push the material beyond common measure. The pursuit of advancing a medium past its traditional capacity is an ongoing exploration in my work and it is particularly relevant to my interests in merging the boundary between painting and sculpture.
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Public Studio Hours
My studio at the Gibbes Museum will be open to the public August 30th - October 10th on the following days:
Thursday: 1 - 4 pm
Friday: 1 - 4 pm
Saturday: 1 - 4 pm
135 Meeting St.
Charleston, SC 29401
A special thank you to the Gibbes Museum of Art, Erin Glaze and Gavin Shelton.
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₁The Gibbes Museum, “The Gibbes strives to provide access to contemporary art through a vibrant Visiting Artist series."
I am pleased to share my new augmented reality project, Daydream.
To view this piece in augmented reality you can:
Purchase a print
Request a postcard (free)
Daydream depicts an abstract landscape. When the painting is viewed through the Artivive augmented reality app, it reveals a starling murmuration. Murmurations occur when hundreds of starling birds gather and form expansive patterns in the sky. I see parallels between this natural phenomenon and my own creative practice. Both have intriguing contradictions, such as being simple in their approach while remaining visually complex. Randomness and control with a sense of intuition.
I am interested in the symbolism of this event and the interactions that produce collective behavior. Flocking is an aggregate result of an individual's actions, each acting solely on the basis of its own, local perception. The mystifying result is the impression of centralized control, propelled by the moment at which a unit becomes a whole. Following a globally shared year of tension, I think such representations of unity are particularly relevant.
The augmented reality feature was created through a custom-made animation. This project was a collaboration between myself and Berlin-based artist Juan Garcia Segura. The animated video starts with my painting as the basis for the composition. From there, the video slowly transforms into a new virtual landscape. The process was a meticulous back and forth through months of emails and zoom calls.
behind the scenes of the animation process
behind the scenes of the animation process
Juan created the animation in 3D digital space utilizing "real" physics and natural light to create the illusion of moving particles shifting across the surface. The movement is generated by reading the textures of the artwork and employing flocking algorithms. In the end, the painting is digitally manipulated into an abstract sky and waving ocean with the resemblance of a murmuration in the foreground.
behind the scenes of the animation process
This project was inspired by my interest in the digital experience. In the past year we relied more than ever on the internet for communication and information. I am curious about the ways that art can cross the boundary between being a purely physical visual encounter and benefit from also existing in the virtual world.
My West facing studio receives an abundance of warm, golden light in the Fall. The radiance induced by the shifting of seasons influences my perception of light and color. Longer light beams of Autumn travel a greater distance to reach us, passing through a thicker layer of atmosphere before illuminating the Earth’s surface. The oblique glow makes an impression on my work both intuitively and physically. Soft, hazy sunlight floods the canvases suggesting a spectrum of possibilities before they come to mind.
In my recent work, I focused on slowing down. Like a mantra, with each pour and stain I reminded myself that slower movement is impactful. The greater consideration of each mark, the deeper context it carries. Method joins with meaning.
Garden II, 36 x 48 inches
Current, 24 x 30 inches
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Within the compositions you’ll find subtle approaches to shifting color and a softness that mimics Fall light. Experimental textures and hue combinations are forefront, breeding the visual language of a mark. My ongoing interest in color and form is rooted in the belief that abstraction can communicate an overwhelming sense of reality.
Someone recently said to me "your work feels like things I’ve seen before but that don’t exist".
My work is abstract but there are moments within the paintings that suggest recognizable elements. Eventually these elements become less about certainty and more about interpretation, creating a relationship between the real and the perceived. Each mark and pour of pigment is a reaction to the previous, a visual conversation embedded in the process.
The soft layers may create space for a visual meditation while the tactile drips might remind you of the painting's physicality. All together conjuring a cascade of associations.
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Cascade, mixed media on canvas, 2021
Flare, mixed media on canvas, 2021
The new pieces approach color and mark making in an unexpected way. Splashes of neon ground the compositions while informal strokes of spray paint create points of connection throughout the pictorial plane.
Veil, 30 x 40 inches, acrylic on prepared canvas, click here to inquire
My paintings are abstract but the sequential application of color grants my work a narrative component. You can see the beginning and the end simultaneously. The initial shapes recede into space as they are enveloped by veils of subsequent colors. The marks hovering on top are the finish line. Each emerging form is a response to the last; a visual conversation. Sometimes the result in an echo of contours, other times it’s a chorus of contradicting movements and marks.
Flight, 30 x 30 inches, acrylic on prepared canvas, click here to inquire
Certain shapes are created through pools of color drying slowly, static yet evolving. In other areas, I erase information in deliberate strokes. This creates a fissure, an abrupt stop in the work’s fluidity. I find meaning in the process of adding, erasing, and filling in voids with new passages of color. Basically, emotions and thoughts are conveyed through an accumulation of diverse marks. A delicate layering of mirroring shapes can conjure a sense of predictability, perhaps you’ll know what to expect as your eyes travel through the painting. A wisp of gradient color floating on the surface mimics the presence of shadow; a suggestion of light in the atmosphere. Just as it is true that in a successful novel every detail is mentioned for a reason, in my paintings every mark is placed with a conscious purpose. The spirit of these new paintings fluctuates between improvised movement and controlled intention. □
Unending, 36 x 48 inches, acrylic on prepared canvas, click here to inquire
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