Striking Landscape Paintings, with Marie Thiebault

Have you ever viewed a landscape painting that stayed with you for days after your viewing? Many people have had that type of response to Marie Thiebault’s amazing artwork. In our conversation, Marie opened up about the inspiration for her artwork, what she wants people to take away from viewing her paintings, her process when approaching the canvas, and so much more. I was thrilled to dive deep into the topic of landscape paintings with an artist like Marie and I know you will get a lot out of her insights too.
Landscapes and tragedy. While many landscape artists can tend to paint serene settings, Marie Thiebault takes her landscape paintings in a less common direction. Marie is interested in evoking a striking contrast that shows the beauty of the landscape in the midst of turmoil. Her early inspiration for this type of landscape painting came from plane crashes and other various disasters involving a landscape scene. Marie also created a fascinating series of paintings that centered around the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Make sure to take a look at images of Marie’s artwork located at the end of this post.
Getting unstuck. Don’t you hate it when you get stuck creatively? Do you have any good tricks or tips that help you find your way out of that funk and back to doing what you love? Over the years I’ve had my fair share of creative block and I’m always eager to hear what has worked for my peers. Marie Thiebault says that her best method for getting back on track is to simply go through the motions. In her experience, Marie has found that time in the studio and patiently waiting for inspiration to return does the trick. She also notes that getting stuck creatively is a normal part of the artist’s experience, which is an important reminder for us all!
The role of painting, today. What is the role of painting in the art community, today? Has it changed or shifted significantly over the years? Through her role as an educator, Marie has seen many of her students experiment with painting only to veer off into other mediums. Marie is very supportive of this process as her students learn to find the right channel for their message to take its form but she remains adamant that painting is that medium for her. She has found through her career that painting is the best way for her to explore the concepts and images that she is drawn to creatively. How did your medium capture your imagination?
You have a unique perspective to share. Do you really believe that you have a unique and valuable perspective to share through your art? For many artists, the voices of doubt and worthlessness tend to creep up and rob precious time that could be spent basking in the light of creativity. What do you do when that happens? How do you remain focused on the work at hand? Marie is convinced that each artist has a valuable perspective to contribute to the community at large. In many ways, what she describes is a mosaic. While we aren’t all coming together to form one massive piece, we do suffer when one piece is missing from the collective.
Outline of This Episode [1:45] I introduce my guest, Marie Thiebault. [3:00] What inspires Marie to create her artwork? [5:45] Marie talks about her landscape influences. [8:00] How do the concepts of chaos and order influence Marie’s work? [10:00] What does Marie want people to take away from viewing her paintings? [12:00] Marie talks about her process of approaching the canvas. [14:30] How do you get unstuck? [18:00] What are you trying to say with your artwork? [20:30] The danger of rushing through a project. [22:45] What is the role of painting today? [26:30] Memorable reactions to Marie’s artwork. [28:00] Marie talks about challenges she has faced in her career. [34:00] The contrast between natural disasters and man-made disasters. [39:00] Every artist has their own unique voice and perceptive to share. Other artists mentioned on this episode Wayne Thiebaud Elmer Bischoff Joan Brown Hans Hofmann Joseph Campbell Philip Guston Resources Mentioned on this episode Marie's website The Feminine Sublime Exhibition Chaos and Awe Connect With Antrese On Facebook On Pinterest On Instagram On Twitter