Marni Tobin

Artist’s Statement

“Illuminating the soul through the influence of light”

My art seeks to penetrate the soul and shed light on the human condition. To do this I focus on the existential pursuit of all humanity. A pursuit I find best realized in musicians, dancers, places people gather and interact such as cafes, bars, street corners ...people who desperately seek meaning and strive to define their identity. I try to capture that moment ...to freeze frame a fleeting and elusive heartbeat when an individual’s face or body communicates their desperate search for something more.

I call this project “Soulstice” as it brings to life the soul of the subject through the application of light integrating movement and rhythm with rich saturated color on a vibrantly textured surface.

It’s often said that the human figure is the most difficult to paint. While this may be so, it’s both my gift and my passion. I seek uniqueness and meaning as I attempt to capture and lay bare the very souls of my subjects, bringing them to life through the sense of mystery created by the application of light.

Biography

Marni's oil and watercolor paintings have appeared in major shows throughout the U.S., including the Midwest Watercolor Society Show and Watercolor West in California.  She has received awards for many of her paintings including an Award of Excellence at the Niagara Frontier Watercolor Show in New York, as well as the Award of Excellence from the Northern Lights juried exhibition and Northstar Watercolor Society Annual Exhibition.

Marni is a Juried Associate member of Watercolor West and served four years on the board of the Northstar Watercolor Society as program chair.   Her work is characterized by rich, flowing colors blended into fluid figures and timeless faces captured on canvas.

Marni graduated with a BFA from the Minneapolis College of Art & Design. After working as an illustrator and graphic artist on various assignments, Marni and her husband founded the respected advertising /design firm of Tobin Erdmann & Jacobsen, now called LogicBay, where Marni led the Art Department. (LogicBay was acquired by an East Coast firm in 2005.)   After working with LogicBay for many years,  Marni began pursuing her interest in painting. Focusing on watercolors and oils, Marni quickly achieved national recognition and success.

Her studies include a ballet series of over twenty paintings reflecting a labor of love, and a recent study of existentialism reflected by people in social places.