“My art evokes positive healing emotions, inspiring hope and peace, while also addressing the beauty and peril of life.”

I am passionate about the waters in Florida where I grew up, and about the waters in Minnesota where I now live.

FLORIDA
Seeing beauty and peril by exploring and learning about its waters, mangrove ecosystems, the Everglades, and coastal shorelines.

MINNESOTA
Seeing beauty and peril by exploring and learning about fresh water mussels, trees, plants, sediment, erosion and the history/future of our rivers, lakes and wetlands.

My passion is finding beauty in the juxtapositions and connections of these very different yet equally vital natural environments.

As an artist in the healing profession, it is my call to share a lifetime of looking and seeing into our natural environment, to use my passion to help people to live healthy, fulfilling lives, and to influence the care of our planet.

I am fascinated by shorelines. Shorelines are where a multitude of elements interface, overlap and intersect. I will often stand at the shore just to watch and truly see the lines formed by the rhythm of the tides, the wind and the changing light. I share these timeless moments in my art, where life and beauty overlap, ever-changing and yet constant.

It is my hope that my images spark awareness of the beauty in peril.

See more:  marisgilbert.com

Shadow and Light
Oil, 26 x 48
$1600
Inspired by a kayaking sunset/night eco-tour in Boca Chica near Key West Florida. I want this painting to give the observer an experience of being a part of the mangroves, to feel our planet, and to inspire the need for its care and preservation.

Up Close

Oil 25 x 62

NFS

This painting brings the viewer up close to feel the energy of the life of the mangroves just beneath the surface.

Lone Mangrove

Oil, 18 x 24

NFS

Mangroves grow from pods dropped into the water by mature trees. They pop up in shallow waters and form a community of intertwined, life-giving roots. Just like us, they start alone, and must brave the environment in order to survive and contribute to the planet.

Dusk

Oil, 16 x 20

$450

The silhouette of mangroves at dusk suggests the resilience of these life-giving trees. Although they are beautiful, the shadow of rising seas and encroaching urban development threatens their existence.

Interfaces 2

Oil 48 X 60

$3000

I am fascinated by the idea of an interface between humans and mangroves. Mangroves breathe life into the ocean, just as we breathe life into ourselves. I marvel at the similar shapes and functions of blood vessels, bones and mangrove roots systems, pods and leaves.

Everglades Scar
Oil 24 x 48
$1200
The Everglades are in danger. This painting contrasts the perpetual exchange of rain that sustains this immense river of grass, with an Army Corps of Engineers canal that slices through it.

Art and Healing

Exhibitions

Education

LMFT  Marriage and Family Therapy Certification, Saint Mary’s University, 2007

MA     Human Development / Art Therapy, Saint Mary’s University, 1996

BFA    Minneapolis College of Art and Design, 1985