art opening: Venus Rising
 new paintings by Maggie Simonelli
at gary marotta fine art  provincetown

ARTIST STATEMENT:
Opalescence of crushed pearls, warmth resonating from coral, pale pinks, red oranges, softness of celadon, coolness of blues and lavenders seen through the translucence of beeswax, pale golds Chanel eye shadow , shimmering silvers, these are the materials of Maggie Simonelli's paintings for the exhibit entitled Venus Rising that speak to the heart through the senses.  Enchanted by themes of nature, love and presence in the series Venus Rising Maggie Simonelli embraces the feminine, beauty with highly decorative style and sensuality of touch.

 Simonelli says, "Venus Rising series is inspired by the presence and awareness felt when witnessing a vision of beauty. The self-reflection that takes place as mirror to presence. Expanding stillness in soft shimmering golden haze . There is a stillness here at this moment between worlds where nature resonates the transcendence within. 
We are the vessel. 
As a witness, we awaken to beauty."

Simonelli uses materials as symbols. Pearls have been symbolic of goddess culture associated with Venus which finds its origins in the Middle East in goddess Astarte and Egyptian goddess Ishtar. The artist was inspired by archaeological objects from exhibit A Wonder to Behold: Craftsmanship and the Creation of Babylon’s Ishtar Gate at Institute for the Study of the Ancient World , NY. Simonelli's resonated with the palette blues and greens of Lion Striding (symbol for the goddess Ishtar) from Processional Way to Ishtar Gate made of the molded and glazed baked clay, from Neo-Babylonian period (604–562 BCE) . Inspired by Venus devotional figurines including female figurine, Middle Elamite Period, ca. 1500–1100 BCE, molded baked clay, Susa, Iran. She found reverence devotion for the Goddess of beauty, protection and creativity endowed in clay figurines from the ancient Middle East. A link to the earth and beauty as ancient texts told of goddess and humans being created from clay. Venus/Astarte/Ishtar the goddess adorned and worshiped for her beauty and Simonelli includes gold eye shadow CHANEL N°5 LES 4 OMBRES, crushed oyster shells, and Rose essential oil from Damascus among her ingredients. Finding the transcendent within and being present to this source is part of the journey in this series. Alchemy of elements are “slow-cooked” on double boiler creating handmade paints of beeswax. Rich, luscious surfaces of soft cream of translucent pearls are layered like as if building the nacre surface of a pearl like softness of the clouds. The horizon of coral and pale glass pinks interlace inside the feathery pale gold and silver petals that radiate upward on wood panels with Simonelli's signature encaustic “burn-in” technique. Continually layering into wax, Simonelli layers of brushed on crushed pearls , pale pink and coral glass pigments within the pale colored beeswax with iridescence of embedded metals.

Simonelli inspired by nature painting in Japanese art uses her own version of Sunago a
Japanese technique in painting where cut foil is sprinkled across the surface to create the
ground, the haze. The artist first came across this technique during her travels to Japan on her
visit to the Gold and Silver: The Brilliance of Japanese Art exhibit at the Tokyo National
Museum. Simonelli uses fine sprinkles of pale gold across the surface to create a soft golden
haze as the goddess Venus shimmering.

Simonelli's paintings return to reverence of Nature, embracing the decorative, the liberation of
beauty, sacred love and divinity of the feminine as a living nature. Maggie Simonelli painting
process is a devotional contemplation, a communication of beauty and nature of the human
spirit through the hand.

ART OPENING : AUGUST 8th & 9th 7 - 9 pm at gary marotta fine art g-1 gallery 162 commercial street provincetown ma

Golden Dawn
 new paintings by Maggie Simonelli

art opening : friday, June 7th & saturday, June 8th 7-9 pm gary marotta fine art  162 commerical street provincetown

Golden Dawn, encaustic paintings  by Maggie Simonelli

Opalescence of crushed pearls, warmth resonating from coral, pale pinks,

red oranges, the colors of sunrise through the translucence of beeswax,

pale golds, shimmering silvers, these are the materials of Maggie

Simonelli's paintings for the exhibit entitled Golden Dawn that speak to the

heart through the senses. Enchanted by themes of nature, love and

presence in the series Golden Dawn Maggie Simonelli embraces the

feminine, beauty with highly decorative style and sensuality of touch.

Simonelli says, "Golden Dawn series is inspired by the presence and

awareness felt at the moment of the dawn as the sunlight spreads out on

the horizon and sparkles in soft shimmering golden haze of pink and

oranges. That moment awakens with its soft golden light creates the

transition coming out of the darkness of night and the beginning of the new

day. There is a stillness here at this moment between worlds where nature

resonates the transcendence within. As a witness, we awaken to beauty."

The Breeze at Dawn by Rumi

The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don’t go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want.
Don’t go back to sleep.
People are going back and forth across the doorsill
where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open.
Don’t go back to sleep.

~ Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks, Essential Rumi

Simonelli uses materials as symbols. Pearls have been symbolic of goddess culture associated with Venus which finds its origins in the Middle East in goddess Astarte. Finding the transcendent within and being present to this source is part of the journey in this series. Alchemy of elements are “slow-cooked” on double boiler creating handmade paints of beeswax. Rich, luscious surfaces of soft cream of translucent pearls are layered like as if building the nacre surface of a pearl like softness of the clouds. The horizon of coral and pale glass pinks interlace inside the feathery pale gold and silver petals that radiate upward on wood panels with Simonelli's signature encaustic “burn-in” technique. Continually layering into wax, Simonelli layers of brushed on crushed pearls , pale pink and coral glass pigments within the pale colored beeswax with iridescence of imbedded metals.

Simonelli inspired by nature painting in Japanese art uses her own version of Sunago a Japanese technique in painting where cut foil in sprinkled across the surface to create the ground, the haze. The artist first came across this technique during her travels to Japan on her visit to the Gold and Silver: The Brilliance of Japanese Art exhibit at the Tokyo National Museum. Simonelli uses fine sprinkles of pale gold across the surface to create a soft golden haze of the sunrising embraced by the matte lush pearl above.

Simonelli paintings return to reverence of Nature, embracing the decorative, the liberation of beauty, sacred love and divinity of the feminine as a living nature. Maggie Simonelli painting process is a devotional contemplation, a communication of beauty and nature of the human spirit through the hand.

Go within.
Hear the story of sunrise from the sun itself.
If there were no sunrise within I would have set long ago !
- Rumi * 

*Inner Sunrise by Rumi, Rumi: In the Arms of the Beloved by Jonathan Star, 2008.

NACRE OF PEARL
paintings by maggie simonelli

nacre of pearl new paintings by maggie simonelli at gary marotta fine art -g1 gallery in provincetown
art opening : friday, june 9th & saturday june 10th 7-9 pm at
gary marotta fine art g-1 gallery 162 commercial street provincetown

Nacre of Pearl encaustic paintings Maggie Simonelli

Opalescence of crushed pearls, warmth of peach orange resonating from coral, pale pinks, translucence of beeswax, pale golds, shimmering silvers, these are the materials of Maggie Simonelli's paintings for the exhibit entitled Nacre of Pearls that speak to the heart through the senses. Enchanted by themes of nature, love and compassion in the series Pearl within the Pearl Maggie Simonelli embraces the feminine, beauty with highly decorative style with sensuality of touch. The title of the series comes from Rumi quote :

“Whatever pearl you seek, look for the pearl within the pearl!” ― Rumi

Pearls have been symbolic of goddess culture associated with Venus which finds its origins in the Middle East in goddess Astarte. Finding the transcendent within and diving deep into this source to find spiritual essence is part of the journey in this series.

Alchemy of elements are “slow-cooked” on double boiler creating handmade paints of beeswax. Rich, luscious surfaces of soft cream of translucent pearls are layered like as if building the nacre surface of a real pearl. Salmon colored coral and pale glass pinks Interlace inside the feathery pale gold and silver petals that radiate upward on wood panels with Simonelli's signature encaustic “burn-in” technique. Painting with the nacre of real pearls in Nacre of Pearl, the softness of the color has a shell like effect encompasses the viewer in pale coral pearl cloud. Continually layering into wax, Simonelli layers of brushed on crushed pearls , pale pink glass pigments within the pale colored beeswax with iridescence of imbedded metals.

Simonelli says :
The pearl is a treasure hidden and a protector for the oyster who creates the pearl within. In irritant arriving with the oyster shell signals the process to cover it with nacre secretions. This protective coating is iridescent and creates the final pearl. For the artist the birth of pearl is symbolic of power of love and goddess Venus that at first may irritate the heart to act and creates beauty and sacred nature within.

Simonelli paintings return to reverence of Nature, embracing the decorative, the liberation of beauty, sacred love and divinity of the feminine as a living nature. Maggie Simonelli painting process is a devotional contemplation, a communication of beauty and nature of the human spirit through the hand.

new exhibition at
gary marotta fine art, g-1 in provincetown

WATER & PEARLS
encaustic paintings by maggie simonelli

Maggie Simonelli Heartbeat of Water #1 (sold)
Encaustic, 22 kt gold leaf, arctic blue silver leaf, aluminum leaf , oxidized copper leaf and pigments on wood 24” x 37 1/2” ” x 1 1/8"

Maggie Simonelli Heartbeat of Water #2
Encaustic, 22 kt gold leaf, arctic blue silver leaf, aluminum leaf, oxidized copper leaf and pigments on wood
24” x 37 1/2” ” x 1 1/8" (sold)

Maggie Simonelli Heart of Water, blue & gold 2022
encaustic, 16 kt pale gold, aluminum leaf, Pat McGrath Labs Subliminal Mothership eye shadows and pigments on wood
20” x 20” x 1 1/2” (sold)

Opalescence of crushed pearls, warmth of peach orange resonates from coral, translucence of beeswax, turquoise floating in a sea of blues, pale golds, shimmering silvers, these are the materials of Maggie Simonelli's paintings that speak to the heart through the senses.

detail, one panel of tryptch Love is a Cloud that Scatters Pearls (sold)

Enchanted by themes of nature, love and compassion in the exhibit Water & Pearls Maggie Simonelli embraces the feminine, beauty with highly decorative style and sensuality of touch. Alchemy of elements are “slow-cooked” on double boiler creating handmade paints of beeswax. Rich, luscious surfaces of translucent paint are interlaced with pale gold, silver leafs on wood panels with Simonelli's signature encaustic “burn-in” technique. Painting with the nacre of real pearls in Love is a Cloud that Scatter Pearls the softness of the color has a shell like effect encompasses the viewer in pale coral pearl cloud. Continually layering into wax, Simonelli carves out arabesque shapes and lines with ceramic tools, layering colors with iridescence of embedded metals.

Simonelli says "As this year brought us indoors and within, the paintings reflect this quiet contemplation of our own nature and connections to nature that brought solace in the face of uncertainty. The Heart of Water is a mediation on water as the compassionate heart of nature and mirror reflection into our own hearts as we dealt with loss. The fear, tragedy, death and the uncertainty, brought us a new expanded awareness of our relationships to each other and to the sacredness of life."

baby blue series Heart of Water, #1 , #2, #4 & #6 (all sold)
encaustic, 16 kt pale gold, aluminum leaf, Pat McGrath Labs Subliminal Mothership eye shadows and pigments on birch panel each 6" x 6" x 1" (sold)

Love isn't the work of the tender and the gentle;
Love is the work of wrestlers.
The one who becomes a servant of lovers
is really a fortunate sovereign.
Don't ask anyone about Love; ask Love about Love.
Love is a cloud that scatters pearls.
~ Rumi
Rumi: The Book of Love: Poems of Ecstasy and Longing
Translated by Coleman Barks

LEFT Heart of Water, baby blue #3 RIGHT: Heart of Water, gold #7
encaustic, 16 kt pale gold, aluminum leaf, Pat McGrath Labs Subliminal Mothership eye shadows and pigments on birch panel each 6” x 6” x 1" (sold #3 & #7)

Simonelli embraces the decorative, playing on the liberation of beauty, sacred love and divinity of the feminine in a living nature. Simonelli paintings return to reverence of Nature and sacred love. Adorn the paintings, finishing with soft, velvety shimmering colors from DIOR, MAC and Pat McGrath Labs cosmetics incorporating titles to play into a created sacred love mythology.