Alberta Marana
I am a shy artist; I am an outgoing person. I love being alone, working on my art; I love being around people, trying in my own way to make this world a better place. I have a degree in art; I have a degree in sociology. This is the dichotomy of my life.
When I was a new parent my father died unexpectedly a few months after he retired. It made me realize how short life is. With the support of my husband, I quit my job as a social worker and became a stay at home parent and a working artist.
I started using pastels because I could pack them up in my car and use my car as my studio, working on location. We lived in the country and the landscape became my subject. I grew intimate with nature. I learned how to tell when the colors would change in a sunset, what colors the snow would be on a sunny winter day and when to expect the moon and where in the sky to look for it. I live in town now, but in a city that’s like the country. The woods surround me and I see Lake Superior and the St. Louis River from my window. Here, all the nature in the city has touched me, especially as evening hits and the early evening sky is muted by the city lights. Observing nature is good for the soul. It’s the solace in nature that I seek in my work and want to convey.