By Henry Bryant
Internationally known artist Mariana Depetris will open a show of her work in February which will continue into April. Mariana has shown in galleries across the US and Europe. Currently she teaches art at a local private school and continues creating and showing works while raising her daughter. At press time, the Friends of East Atlanta Library have yet to hang the show. Attached to this article are samples of her work which may or may not be part of the show, but they are very representative of her approach to art. By the time you get this, the work will be on display on the Gallery Wall at the East Atlanta Library during normal library hours and all are invited to check it out and save the date for an Artist Reception on April 7.
In a statement about her work Mariana says, “My images describe traditional games or rituals children play. These ideas freeze childhood moments that could have a threatening edge to them, since I mix different signs and icons belonging to different traditions.” In her work you may be reminded of age old European Folktales, or stories by Hans Christian Anderson or the Grimm brothers with visual inspiration from Italian frescoed ceilings. There is a lot of symbolism with sometimes precise and sometimes sensitive rendering by Mariana’s hand. The end result can be a little unsettling while at the same time possessing charm and holding meaning.
From shows in far flung locales like Argentina, Puerto Rico, Panama, and Bulgaria to shows closer to home at the Swan Coach House, Savannah, Florida, and North Carolina, Mariana keeps her work out there. Noted for her printmaking work, her work is part of permanent collections in Tokyo, Japan; Harvard University; The Flemish Ministry of Culture in Brussels; and the Georgia Southern University Library in Statesboro. Mariana has taught art at numerous Universities in Georgia and holds a Masters of Fine Arts from Georgia Southern University and a Licentiate in Printmaking from the National University of Cordoba (Argentina).
To access the Depetris art show during regular library hours, just ask at the circulation desk and the librarian will let you in if the room is not in use. If you would like to meet the artist plan now to come to a wine and hors d’oeuvres reception on Saturday, April 7 from 3:30pm to 5:30pm. The Friends usually have quite a spread and all are invited. Artwork is for sale and a portion of the proceeds benefit the East Atlanta Library.
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