Inspired by the musical talents of her husband Steve Purcell (The Pearly Shells and owner of Belmar Records). Marise Maas' forthcoming solo celebrates the creative energy that flows when an artist and a musician live under the same roof.
Under One RoofCatalogue Essay by Phe Luxford
Marise Maas is an Australian/Dutch artist whose practice extends over thirty years. Recognised for her intentionally unrestrained, dynamic paintings and drawings, Maas finds inspiration within the everyday aspects of the world she inhabits and is singularly interested in the spontaneous and honest act of image making. Full of humour and playful observation, her images celebrate the simple forms, textures and happenings of daily life, each mixed with a healthy dose of the artist’s own internal dialogue or imaginative pondering.
The works in Under One Roof pay direct homage to the creative life she shares with her partner, a musician and record producer, and documents the various instruments, recording equipment and other accoutrements of a musician’s craft that fill their family home. With her signature style of loose line-work and open fields of singular colour, Maas depicts more than just the physical contours of the piano keys, microphones, ash trays and electrical cables that mingle together in her living space. These images are infused with an energy that speaks directly to the experience of both making and listening to live music.
Characterised by unfettered, wandering lines that often stretch beyond the edges of her canvases, Maas establishes a tension between documentation and expression. Her off-centre compositions create a sense of peering into an unfiltered moment. Full of gestural possibility and repeated frames of movement, her mark making explores the essence of her subjects with keen observation and celebrates the quirks and nuances of their structures.
Musicians and their tools of trade are a rich and enduring subject matter for Maas and her paintings genuinely capture the clamour, collaboration and improvisation of band rehearsals and recording sessions. These images also serve as a reminder of the exhilarating delight of watching live music; something we could all do with supporting after the silence of recent years.ARTIST STATEMENT:Steve and I have been living together since 1994, so have shared many houses, both in Amsterdam and Melbourne. Since we decided to settle in Melbourne we have both set up our studios from home. Before that I rented studio spaces in Haarlem NL, Windsor and in Fitzroy. Steve is a bass player with The Pearly Shells (big band and small) and set up Belmar Records, which records Melbourne roots music.
My studio is the car port, still under the same roof. It’s a long space that keeps getting longer. Having studios under the same roof only works if we keeps out of each other’s way. Music seeps into my work. I stay away from the recording sessions, usually hiding in my studio when many muso’s are in the house. (I am a frustrated piano player myself.) But I don’t mind the recording of live music getting louder than my podcasts. I also quite enjoy designing all the LP covers.Two different art forms under one roof works because we have respect for each other’s projects and the different methods and time needed. It used to be harder to negotiate and juggle when our sons were young. They’re 18 and 15 now, so that work juggling and bringing up family has become much easier. Having painted pictures of the ‘everyday’ around me for years, it I thought it was about time I featured some of the musical aspects of the house. Marise Maas, 2022
ARTIST PROFILE: Born in the Netherlands, Marise Maas immigrated to Australia with her family in 1982. Maas’ work is represented in numerous major collections nationally and internationally, including the National Gallery of Australia, Artbank, BHP Billiton, Swinburne University of Technology and National Australia Bank Collection. She lives and works in Melbourne.
