"In school years ago, I was the gal who got the 'C 'in art -- I couldn't draw literally a stick person. You end up feeling like you're just not a creative person. It was terrible."
Despite a disheartening beginning, Marie Haley can now count herself among Arkansas creatives with new exhibitions of her work hanging in two local establishments: The Crumpet Tea Room in Bentonville and the new Bolder Coffee in Rogers. Inspired by a piece her friend owned that Haley saw while visiting on her 45th birthday -- and by her friend's words of encouragement -- Haley decided to try her hand once again at artistic creation when she found herself with a bit of free time.
FAQ
“Infusion”
By Marie Haley
WHEN — On display through July 30; reception with artist Haley 6-8 p.m. Thursday, July 13
WHERE — Bolder Coffee, Green Acres Road in Rogers
COST — Free to view; pieces available for purchase
INFO — facebook.com/drinkb…
"[My friend] was like, 'You know, you could make that.' And I don't know, it just planted a seed with me, and I thought maybe I should play around with it," Haley recalls. "We got downsized so I was a couple months between jobs and needed to fill up my time. I started playing with more general mixed media -- kind of fun and funky stuff on canvas -- so that's where I caught the bug."
It was alcohol ink that caught her eye -- a medium that uses highly pigmented colors to create marbled effects.
"I'm so fascinated by the fluidity of everything and just how colors meld together, and that's total alcohol inks, right?" Haley muses. But it was only a short time before she found her way to fluid art. "I was totally enamored and addicted to it."
As the name suggests, fluid art employs a liquid paint that flows easily with gravitational or manipulated force. The kinetic nature of the method can often render energetic and visceral works.
"When I really figured out that maybe I was kind of on to something special is that constantly people are saying to me, 'Oh my God, I'm looking at this and it just makes me so happy,' or 'That is just so energizing and energetic.' But happy comes up all the time," Haley says.
Using additives like isopropyl alcohol or silicone oil in some or even all the colors adds texture to the works and ensures no two pieces are ever the same. When the textures are combined with the varying movement techniques -- or even no movement; Haley sometimes prefers to let colors pool -- it can be easy to imbue a painting with the artist's fervor, joy or even feelings of contemplation.
"When I started doing art and I saw the reaction people were getting from the pieces, then I feel like it became this extension of me. Like my mission is to be kind and create kindness and support," Haley shares. "There are times that I want to pick the most vibrant colors that are fluorescent to try to invoke this or that, or sometimes you'll see my mood coming through what I'm making."
Following the example of many local coffee shops supporting artists -- like Cafe 211 in Bentonville and Arsaga's in Fayetteville as well as taprooms like Springdale's Black Apple Crossing and Fayetteville's Fossil Cove -- Bolder Coffee invites bolder colors to its cream walls with Haley's works, including a piece she created just for the shop in its colors.
"The thing that is so amazing is you just never can predict," Haley says. "You bring the preparation to the art -- you choose the paint, you manipulate the viscosity of the paint, you can add additives -- but then it's just so unpredictable what can come out of this. You just put it all together and put it out there and in many ways, the piece creates itself. That's what's so fascinating."
NAN What's Up on 06/16/2017