User:Downunderart

MARIE JONSSON-HARRISON

Marie Jonsson-Harrison is a naive artist and blogger, whose career as an artist has spanned more than 20 years, creating colorful naive artworks in acrylic, ceramic and mosaic.

BACKGROUND She was born in Sweden, her grandparents were famous circus artists and her father is Adelaide based sculptor, Ted Jönsson. Marie emigrated to Australia with her family in 1972, and embarked on a highly successful career 'diversion' as an international model. Picking up on peripatetic life of her forebears she was to enjoy success as" Miss Summer Spain" 1981," South Australia Model of the Year" 1982 and "Australian Model of the Year" 1984.

ART CAREER Marie began painting whilst pregnant with her son in 1986 by "accident" after her brother was unable to finish the mural he had started on the nursery wall due to touring commitments with his band Clowns of Decadence. Marie took over and although with no formal art training, she fell in love with painting and continued painting every chance she got. With encouragement by her father and Jim Elder (Elders Fine Art Gallery) as well as Gallery Art Naive in Melbourne, she soon started exhibiting her artworks and from then on painted full time.

Bringing immediate zest and life to the genre of Naïve or Naïf Art (sometimes also referred to as outsiders art, innocent art, or folk art) Marie developed a unique painting approach wherein figures and objects are rendered in relief, giving the works a wonderful human and tactile quality. She brings to her work a great sense of humor and keen observation of life, always presenting a positive and joyful experience often with a social comment about the human condition. Her paintings, prints and sculptures are for sale and are collected widely throughout Australia and internationally. Japan and U.S.A has proved to be particularly appreciative and supportive markets for Marie.

BLOGGING During the last year Marie has been writing an art blog called "Naïve View" on her website www.mariejonssonharrison.com.au where she details the creative process and where the inspiration comes from. This is for those among you who share Marie´s slightly quirky sense of humor and likes to find out what makes an Artist tick. "Naïve View" blog by Marie, is gaining quite a following worldwide, you can also join Marie on her page called Naïve Art by Marie Jönsson-Harrison on Facebook.

PUBLIC SCULPTURES She has also got several public sculptures to her name, the largest creation spanning 44 meters across at the entrance of the mid north town of Balaklava called the Federation Gateway. This sculpture depicts a federation house with stories made from handmade ceramic and mosaic, telling some of the tales of the district over the last 100 years both in pictures and the written word on plaques.

AWARDS Marie has won many Art Competitions and been the recipient of two SA Great Regional awards for the Arts in 2002 and 2007. In South Australia she is represented by the Greenhill Gallery. Her artworks are also featured in corporate collections, private collections and several art books worldwide. Her artwork is for sale to the general public including paintings, sculptures, giclee prints and more.

Marie has lived with her husband, son and daughter on a farm for the last 17 years but have just recently decided on a "Sea change" and bought a house with panoramic sea views, which will no doubt inspire and add to her growth and development as one Australia's most productive self taught artists.

REFERENCES 1. Artlink Magazine Front/Back cover,Summer edition 92/93 2. Australian Naive Art, Sandra Warner, Craftsman House Publishers 3. Art Images 2, Neville Drury, Craftsman House Publishers 4. Adelaide Review, Front cover October 96 5. Art Smart, Lou Chamberlin, McGraw-Hill Publishers 6. Stories behind the Wall, Dale Gathercole, Wakefield Regional Council 7. Grapegrower & Winemaker magazine, Front cover 1999 8. South Australian Show Case, Front cover August 2006 9. Who is Who, South Australia 2007 10. Who is Who, Australia 2008 11. Who is Who of Australian Women 2009 12. Who is Who of Australian Women 2010 13. Who is Who of Australian Women 2011