Bio & Affiliations
Frederica Marshall, Master Brush Painter, artist, teacher, researcher, and author, lived in Japan for 28 years. She received a B.F.A. in Painting from Miami University in Ohio and an M.A. in Art Education from Michigan State University. She currently resides in Deer Isle, Maine.
In Japan, she explored western painting styles with Michiro Mori and studied Sumi-e (Asian Brush Painting) for 10 years with Grace Yen. She has also studied Sumi-e techniques with Yang Chan, Li Dongfeng, and Leigh Wen.
She has exhibited in Japanese venues and galleries since 1973, including the Takumi Gallery, the Mikimoto Pearls Gallery, the Okinawa Civic Center and the International Ocean Exposition in Motubu. Her Sumi-e paintings were featured in a solo show at the U.S. Naval Gallery in Yokosuka.
Frederica’s works have been selected for numerous national exhibitions in the United States, such as those sponsored by the National Sumi-e Society at the Tweed Museum in Duluth, Minnesota and the Mobile Museum of Art in Mobile, Alabama. She received the Winsor and Newton Painting Award in Portsmouth, Virginia at the National Sumi-e Exhibition and was honored with the Traditional Painting Award at the National Sumi-e Exhibition in New York City. Her artwork has been included in notable group shows at the John and Mabel Ringling Museum of Art, the Plum Door Gallery, the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens and the Sarasota County Arts Council in Sarasota, Florida. Her work has been exhibited in more than 72 group shows and in 20 solo shows. Her paintings are included in private collections in Australia, Europe, Japan and the United States.
Frederica teaches Sumi-e and watercolor courses at her studio in Deer Isle, Maine, at art and educational institutions on Florida’s Gulf Coast and in The Republic of China. She is a member of the National Sumi-e Society, the Union of Maine Visual Artists and the Deer Isle Art Association and has served as President of the National Sumi-e Society, Sarasota Chapter and Vice President of the Down East Asian Art Society, Deer Isle, Maine and as Vice President of Ikebana International, Sarasota Chapter.
MEMBERSHIPS / AFFLIATIONS
Ikebana International, Chapter Vice President
National Sumi-e Society, Chapter President, Chapter Vice President
National Board Sumi-e Society of America, Parliamentarian
Maine Visual Artists
Pearson Legacy Gallery
Red Dot Gallery, Co-Founder
Current Member Deer Isle Artists Association
Island Education Foundation Board, Secretary
Deer Isle Writers Groups
The Haiku Project, Co-Founder
Deer Isle Chamber of Commerce
Artist Statement
A Meditative Journey
I am a visual person… sights, colors, shapes and aromas evoke images in my mind. Creating a meaningful work of art begins with the visualization of these images and culminates in the manifestation of those visions in the physical realm. My painting is also a form of meditation. During the creative process, I mentally “feel” textures and colors. Watercolor and ink on rice and watercolor paper provide the perfect vehicle for the fusion of Western and Eastern influences, as well as the blend of fusion of ancient and modern motifs that is the wellspring of my individual style.
The specific symbolism represented in my works flows from my travels, my studies in art history, anthropology, Asian philosophy and my own personal mythology. Sources for my subject matter include: indigenous cultures, landscapes, dreams, legends, beach combing and museum visits, among others. Inspiration is a vision …I “become” my chosen subject as I paint it. In this way, I evoke the essence of my subject by enveloping myself in the nature of its “being.”
Through my awareness of the spirit of nature — the subtle energies and abounding beauty in animals, plants, mountains and ocean — my paintings communicate the everyday miracles in the world around us. It is artwork intended not only for the eye, but also for the mind and heart.
Frederica Marshall