Marianne Urth was born in Southern Denmark and grew up surrounded by the Baltic Sea. In her late twenties she moved to Chile where she continued to explore the beautiful yet unpredictable seas in the fjords of the Southern Oceans. In 2015, when she moved with her husband and family to Sydney, it was again the water that attracted her and made her feel welcome in her new surroundings. Racing and cruising along the East Coast of Australia is an integral part of the artist’s life. From her studio in Greenwich overlooking the Lane Cove River she gets inspiration from the harbour’s boating activities and the forever changing wind and cloud formations which can transform a pond to a roaring sea with fascinating ease. Marianne Urth paints the effervescent ocean, a colourful abstract interpretation of the powerful movements of the waves with their shifting shapes and shades of blue and green.
The presence of an often colourful sail and a heeling mast suggest the state of the seas and the rapidly changing conditions or the excitement of an animated race. Her bold brush strokes combined with pools and eddies of acrylic paint, frothy white sea spray and lines of black charcoal gives her art multiple layers that invites the viewer to discover the elements within the painting.
The artist’s fascination with the sea, the waves, the wind and the clouds, combined with her passion for sailing provides her work with both details pleasing for a sailor’s eye and an overall dynamic expression. Displayed on large sized canvases create a new dimension to a room, like a window into the elements of nature which can be dramatic yet always are fascinating.
