Artist: Marko Marino, Plein Air Painter

[January 2021. By Kathryn R. Burke] A native Coloradan, Marko grew up in Boulder, Colorado amid the aesthetic influences of the University of Colorado and the example of his father, Anthony, who was his primary artistic inspirer. Marko’s aesthetic vision ignited at an early age and it continues to bloom.

“Painting is my passion,” Marko said. “I delight in the effort, and become lost within the process of each evolving piece. There is the challenge of creating the tangible work from the intangible vision.”

Marko creates dynamic compositions in contemporary style utilizing a vivid visual memory combined with a strong sense of design. There is an honest sense of place and time expressed in the subjects that Marko Marino portrays. As a painter of real life (realism), he draws his visual inspirations from nature, colored through his emotions. “My Impressionist style is a natural evolution that is versatile in its level of detail and its devotion to true color,” he said, explaining, “I paint because I am enraptured by the elegant dance of form and light.”

Marko uses different tools, including a palette knife, to facilitate his painting and varying shapes and detail to direct viewer attention. He feels that limiting the image to the crucial elements is the underlying challenge.

“Exceptional art will stimulate the senses by engaging the imagination. My objective is to create art that is more than an accurate depiction of an image. The WHY is key to creating a powerful image, and when there is a link to an emotion, an event, a truth, or a message, the result is a stronger impact upon the viewer.”

Visit Marko’s website for more information and to see galleries of his work.

Click HERE to hear live interview with Marco and view his video.