Vlasic Studio Art, Figurative Realism Painting Artist
Figurative Oil Paintings by Marie Vlasic
FULL NUDES, 18 and over only please
Figurative Oil Paintings by Marie Vlasic
FULL NUDES, 18 and over only please
Artist Statement
I have a strange relationship with people. I am at once fascinated and repulsed. Fear and loathing with a joyful embrace. This duality in my at-odds psyche has turned into an obsession, one which I express the only way I know how, and that is to paint. When I render the human form, I am digging into the person, pulling out who and what they are. I want to show their insides, for better or worse. By pushing and pulling the paint, the light and the shadow, I am laying them, and myself, bare on the canvas. It is my attempt to find the humanity, the God-spark, in them, and in me.
There is nothing more beautiful and horrible and lofty and base as a human being, and for me, no other subject worthy of deep exploration. I feel my soul in painting the human form, and so the flesh is always calling me.
Only oil paint will do. I fell in love with the medium, with it’s soft, sensual feel and rich intensity of color in my first college painting classes. I paint thin, in many successive layers. This time-consuming technique gives my work a luminous quality. Because of the brief, expressive nature of the images I am creating, I work using photographs of the models as a reference, many taken myself and some in collaboration with local photographers.
I am often asked which painting is my favorite. The answer, the one I am doing now. The process of watching each work unfold, the moment when the flat canvas begins to breathe, that is the fuel that drives me to keep creating.
Thank you for your interest,
M Vlasic
Recent & upcoming exhibitions & Awards:
Conjoined, Copro Gallery, 2525 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica, CA - Invitational Group Show - Opening January 20, 2018
Awarded 2nd & 3rd Place as well as Judges Choice in Art for “Matilda” & Charlemagne” at the Denver County Fair, 2016
Cat Art Show LA, Think Tank Gallery, Los Angeles, CA - Invitational Group Exhibit - March 26-April 26 2016
Awarded 1st Place in Contemporary Painting for “Matilda” at the Denver County Fair, 2015
Awarded 1st Place in Contemporary Painting for “Warrior” at the Denver County Fair, 2014
Two paintings (“Paul V” and “Andrew” ) now in the permanent collection of the Leslie Lohman Museum of Gay & Lesbian Art in Soho, NY
Art Collector’s Starter Kit, Corey Helford Gallery, 8530 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA - Invitational Group Exhibit - March 23-April 13, 2013
Faces, Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, 6901 Wadsworth Blvd. Arvada, CO - June 2nd-August 15th, 2012
Center for Visual Arts, 915 Santa Fe Drive Denver, CO - "Outfigured" Invitational Group Exhibit, February 2nd - April 6th, 2012
Walker Fine Art Gallery, 300 W. 11th Ave Denver, CO, – Group Exhibit, May 13th – June 22nd, 2011.
Honorable Mention, Professional Artist Magazine portrait cover competition, February 2011
Walker Fine Art Gallery, 300 W. 11th Ave Denver, CO, – “Altered”, paintings of the tattooed nude by M Vlasic, solo exhibit, June 4th – July 11th, 2010.
Walker Fine Art Gallery, 300 W. 11th Ave Denver, CO, – “2010 the Year in Preview”, Group show, January 11th-February 20th, 2010.
Best of the Arts District Exhibit, 910 Arts, 910 Santa Fe Dr. Denver, CO – Awarded Best in Show (2D) by Denver Art Museum curator Gwen Chanzit and Foothills Art Center curator Michael Chavez. December 18th, 2009 - January 11th, 2010.
Anthony Camera Studio Gallery, 900 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, CO – “3 on 3” Group exhibit with Anthony Camera & Paul Moschell. September 25th – October 30th, 2009.
Cherry Creek Arts Festival, Cherry Creek North, Denver, CO – 3rd year exhibitor, July 3, 4 & 5, 2009.
Space Gallery 765 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, CO – “Eye to I” main gallery solo exhibit with Penelope Caldwell, June 12th – July 5th 2009
Kitchen’s Ink Gallery, 757 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, CO – Solo Exhibition, November 1st – December 1st, 2008.
Core Gallery, 900 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, CO - 2 of 2 pieces juried into the "Place" show by Ivar Zeile, owner of Plus+ Gallery. Awarded Best in Show for the painting "Please wait to be seated", September 12th – October 10th, 2008.
Space Gallery 765 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, CO - 4 of 4 pieces juried into the "Untitled" show by Michael Paglea, Westword art critic; Awarded 1 of 3 equal commendations for the painting "Caley III", July 11- August 16, 2008.
Cherry Creek Arts Festival, Cherry Creek North, Denver, CO – 2nd year exhibitor, July 4, 5 & 6, 2008.
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Press:
February 2015: Feature artist in 1 of 1 Magazine: http://1of1magazine.com/colorado-artist-feature-marie-vlasic/
February 2014: “100 Colorado Creatives” in the Westword, by Susan Froyd blogs.westword.com/showandtell/2014/02/marie_vlasic_black_rock_projec.php
April 2012: Review of “Out Figured” in the Westword by Michael Paglia
March 2012: Review of “Out Figured” in the Denver Post by Ray Mark Rinaldi
June 2011: Review of the White Series at Walker Fine Art by Westword art critic Michael Paglia
December 2010: Named one of “Ten Artists Who Left Their Mark on Colorado in 2010” by Westword art critic Michael Paglia. http://blogs.westword.com/showandtell/2010/12/influential_artists_in_colorado_2010.php
August 2010: Painting "Michelle" featured on billboard in the Denver Theater District.
July 2010: Review/article of “Altered” solo exhibit on Adobe Airstream online arts & culture magazine http://www.adobeairstream.com/elements/article/410.html
June 2010: Review of “Altered” solo exhibit by Westword art critic Michael Paglia in June 30th edition. Picture of “Candice II” featured.
June 2, 2010: Featured guest on the “Untitled Art Show” www.untitledartshow.com
June 2010: Painting “Candice” featured in the “Night & Day” section of the Westword with a write up on the "Altered" show by Michael Paglia, Westword art critic, June 9th edition.
April 2010: The painting “Michelle" featured on the cover of MetroMode Magazine, with a feature article on the artist.
February 2010: The painting “Jordan II” featured on the 11am channel 7 live in-studio TV newscast (with Bertha Lynn).
February 2010: The paintings “Chris”, “Jordan” and “Michelle” featured on the 7pm Channel 2 live TV newscast and Monday morning news (with Chris Parente).
January 2010: Painting “Caley Revisited” featured in the “Pulse” section of Art Ltd. Magazine.
December 2009: Painting “Michelle” featured in the “Night and Day” section of Westword magazine.
August 2009: Painting of Chris Parente Featured on the cover of “Outfront” Magazine.
July 2009: 2 live on-air news interviews by Richard Ortner of Channel 7 and Chris Parente of Channel 31.
June 2009: Painting of Chris Parente featured on the "Everyday" Television show, Fox Channel 13.
April 2009: "Skin Deep" magazine ( UK & US) 5 page feature article, May issue.
April 2009: Television interview with Channel 2's Chris Parente 7pm Fox channel 13.
February 2009: Article in the spring edition of Denver Syntax online magazine.
July 2008: On-air live television interview Channel 2, July 4, 2008, on site at the Cherry Creek Arts Festival.
May 2008: In studio on-air interview for Cherry Creek Arts Festival, Channel 7 morning show.
June 2007: 2 page Article in Denver ’s 303 Magazine.
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Marie Vlasic
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