About Mara - Artist Statement

With formal education backgrounds in Philosophy and Cultural Anthropology, I take a philosophical and cultural approach to my art. I explore the questions and mysteries of my own existence, as well as the human conditions of diversity, belonging, and acceptance of one another through our connection to culture, place, and personal history. Among the artists who have inspired me to fathom these concepts are Andy Warhol, Christo, Frida Kahlo, Maggi Hambling, Mark Rothko, and Miles Davis.

I work in fabrics and textiles using quilting techniques and various materials for embellishing my work. After striking upon inspiration, I allow the art quilt to develop itself in my mind at its own pace, and then to continue to direct its own evolution as I put thread to fabric. In this manner, each piece I create is unique. In this manner, each piece I create is unique. I use such abstract concepts as fields of color and space with fabric placement, thread-painting, and embellishment techniques to give the art pause, thus giving the viewer time to think about its story.

With an interest in diverse stories to tell, I give myself the freedom to create many seemingly disparate works of art. Yet the connecting thread that binds my work together is the desire to be accepted for who we are: through experiences that leave a hardened heart; the struggles of connecting with one another; the celebration of cultures and identity; the freedom to breathe and the lightness of air; or simply mere existence. Thus, my art quilts are not merely decorative or trivial, but reach for the profound and permanent.