ABOUT
Marina Solé, picture used for my Spanish ID (2020)
ARTIST
Born in Catalonia in 1987.
In a small cute town in the north central of S-pain and grew up in Barcelona. I consider myself Catalan. I studied fashion design and pattern construction, but I felt uninspired by the art world—it was too commercial and not my vibe.
The first memory I have about art was when I was 5 years old.
My mom used to paint in the attic. I secretly used to sneak up there, because there were stored toys and interesting stuff to play with.
Several times my mom left unfinished oil paintings to dry out on a table. Seeing her moving those beautiful long brushes up and down and dipping them in shiny paint looked so appetizing. Intending to help her, I painted over it, making nothing good. I have no doubt that she noticed – yet she never said anything.
I remember one of her paintings was about a basket full of oranges, and another one about a romantic harlequin with a flower. Both paintings had dreamy aesthetics with soft feathering colors.
I moved to San Francisco in 2011.
I am intrinsically attached to my motherland, Catalonia. The Mediterranean air I breathe there means "force, life, nostalgia". Oddly, I always felt that to be wholly in touch with my roots and my own existence, I had to leave.
I arrived in the US with a Design and Fine Arts background academically and professionally, having worked as a designer at several relevant fashion brands in Spain. I decided to study an MFA in Fashion Merchandising in San Francisco, and pursue a professional career in the US following my Master’s Degree.
I was already very familiar with painting, so I decided to merge my designs with the perception of the brush. I started working very early in the fashion industry. However, my real passion between these matters is discovering new ways to create beauty. I’d say my approach to beauty: I’m easy-going and genuine.
Fast Forward several years after I graduated from AAU, worked for different Fashion companies in San Francisco. I felt uninspired, like a deep thin knife in my chest.
2020 was dedicated to find and start Marina Solé. I needed to again be that girl that genuinely painted over my mom's paint, to find my voice and my roots, through creating artwork, to feel who I really am.
Now, I am a full-time artist, creating art dialogs between oil paintings and collages made from antique papers. During this time, I have embraced being part of the Hunters Point Shipyard Artists Community until 2024, San Francisco.
My current studio is located in North California where I celebrate everyday being surrounded and inspired by trees, animals, the mountains, isolated and thrilling!
Again, I am from Catalonia, but my accent has kind of blurred, they say. For a long time, I worked on eliminating it, which feels like the weirdest thing. Money doesn’t tell me much, but paying for a book is definitely like planting an apple tree. My advice is simple: “follow the river and be kind.”
Love is an important tool because it works in everything.
In a small cute town in the north central of S-pain and grew up in Barcelona. I consider myself Catalan. I studied fashion design and pattern construction, but I felt uninspired by the art world—it was too commercial and not my vibe.
The first memory I have about art was when I was 5 years old.
My mom used to paint in the attic. I secretly used to sneak up there, because there were stored toys and interesting stuff to play with.
Several times my mom left unfinished oil paintings to dry out on a table. Seeing her moving those beautiful long brushes up and down and dipping them in shiny paint looked so appetizing. Intending to help her, I painted over it, making nothing good. I have no doubt that she noticed – yet she never said anything.
I remember one of her paintings was about a basket full of oranges, and another one about a romantic harlequin with a flower. Both paintings had dreamy aesthetics with soft feathering colors.
I moved to San Francisco in 2011.
I am intrinsically attached to my motherland, Catalonia. The Mediterranean air I breathe there means "force, life, nostalgia". Oddly, I always felt that to be wholly in touch with my roots and my own existence, I had to leave.
I arrived in the US with a Design and Fine Arts background academically and professionally, having worked as a designer at several relevant fashion brands in Spain. I decided to study an MFA in Fashion Merchandising in San Francisco, and pursue a professional career in the US following my Master’s Degree.
I was already very familiar with painting, so I decided to merge my designs with the perception of the brush. I started working very early in the fashion industry. However, my real passion between these matters is discovering new ways to create beauty. I’d say my approach to beauty: I’m easy-going and genuine.
Fast Forward several years after I graduated from AAU, worked for different Fashion companies in San Francisco. I felt uninspired, like a deep thin knife in my chest.
2020 was dedicated to find and start Marina Solé. I needed to again be that girl that genuinely painted over my mom's paint, to find my voice and my roots, through creating artwork, to feel who I really am.
Now, I am a full-time artist, creating art dialogs between oil paintings and collages made from antique papers. During this time, I have embraced being part of the Hunters Point Shipyard Artists Community until 2024, San Francisco.
My current studio is located in North California where I celebrate everyday being surrounded and inspired by trees, animals, the mountains, isolated and thrilling!
Again, I am from Catalonia, but my accent has kind of blurred, they say. For a long time, I worked on eliminating it, which feels like the weirdest thing. Money doesn’t tell me much, but paying for a book is definitely like planting an apple tree. My advice is simple: “follow the river and be kind.”
Love is an important tool because it works in everything.
STATEMENT
I started by making a series of tiny "collages," which eventually evolved into a personal collection of art pieces. I store my collection all around the house, like an intimate curious museum to inspire my daily life, and document my evolving creative process. The obsession for antique papers, old books from all around the world, and scraps of gazettes helped me to create dialogs between faces, phrases and places, mixed to evoke beautifully shy effortless nostalgia.
In parallel, and as a juxtaposition to my collages, the exquisite oil paint is my autre media. I create scenarios that oil can portray strongly to evoke mystery, from the ordinary to the extraordinary, sometimes specific and other times vague... shaped in colors and unstructured forms with a buoyant kick.
The roots of each piece come from the spirit of nature, old memories, dAdA art/surrealism, infantile artifacts, imaginary spaces, and strange compositions that I create in my head to elicit curiosity.
"Art is like Champagne, it tickles my brain"
Having passion for what I do is my way of meditation, in order to achieve a neutral state of contentment. Living with this tickle allows me to see forms differently. Instead of looking directly at matter in the foreground, I intuitively perceive the outlines & edges that separates the subject from the negative spaces. These lines are the focal point of my interaction with the surrounding world, and inspire the visuals I create.
Ultimately, the art process drives me to seek innovative ideas, or else revive forgotten ones both pure and sensitive, bringing the cracks and ironies of life to the surface.
In parallel, and as a juxtaposition to my collages, the exquisite oil paint is my autre media. I create scenarios that oil can portray strongly to evoke mystery, from the ordinary to the extraordinary, sometimes specific and other times vague... shaped in colors and unstructured forms with a buoyant kick.
The roots of each piece come from the spirit of nature, old memories, dAdA art/surrealism, infantile artifacts, imaginary spaces, and strange compositions that I create in my head to elicit curiosity.
"Art is like Champagne, it tickles my brain"
Having passion for what I do is my way of meditation, in order to achieve a neutral state of contentment. Living with this tickle allows me to see forms differently. Instead of looking directly at matter in the foreground, I intuitively perceive the outlines & edges that separates the subject from the negative spaces. These lines are the focal point of my interaction with the surrounding world, and inspire the visuals I create.
Ultimately, the art process drives me to seek innovative ideas, or else revive forgotten ones both pure and sensitive, bringing the cracks and ironies of life to the surface.