Marnie Gilder
Using the simplicity of form, Marnie Gilder is an abstract artist who explores shapes on hand-pulled screen prints.
Words: Emma-Kate Wilson
“The DORÉ collaboration has been seamless, full of trust and respect. It simply felt like we had all been working together for years,” says Marnie Gilder. Photo - Courtesy of DORÉ.
Marnie Gilder works intuitively, sitting down to cut shapes out of coloured paper, and then working on the arrangement. During the paint mixing, the artist thinks about the name of the work, bringing it to life beyond the process. Every step of her process is done by hand, from the setting up of her silkscreens using masking tape and hand-cut paper to the screen print of each colour onto Aquarelle paper.
Marnie first started her creative career in graphic design, moving to Milan after graduating. It was here that she began working for art director Susanna Cucco (@cuccostudio), who encouraged her to follow her artistic passion: abstract painting — which she pursued back in Australia under the name Marnie Wark. However, it was moving, newlywed, to a remote sheep and cattle station in Victoria led to her current style and direction. Following her husband here in 2007 meant, “no mains power at the station, a bad internet connection, no mobile phone reception and a very long, winding road up a mountain that scared off all art couriers.” And so, the artist started Marnie Gilder — a way to separate her prints from paintings and give herself complete commercial freedom.
“[Barossa] is a special place to make work – here, my work-life balance is in-check, and the business community is made up of people who appreciate that good things take time,” says Marnie Gilder.
“The underlying principles in [my work]... are a play between tension and synergy, exploring what that I like to refer to as the ‘spirit of space’.”
After living in rural Victoria for several years, and facing challenges on the farm, the family decide moved back to the Barossa almost five years ago. The move has impacted Marnie’career in many ways. “My husband and children have never been so happy,” the artist reflects, “I am spending less time worrying about them and have more time doing my own thing… I, too, have never been happier!”
“My artworks all feel like they make themselves, but with hindsight, I can see that my pieces subtly reflect what was happening in my life at the time.”
“I asked Garance to give me a list of keywords that resonated with her... Three of the words on Garance’s list were ‘Love’, ‘Breath’ & ‘Peace’, shares Marnie Gilder. Photo - Courtesy of DORÉ.
Marnie Giler shares her inspiration, “wit, beauty, the South Australian landscape, a well-written sentence, street art, popular culture and all forms of Italian design.” Photo - Jacqui Way.
A serendipitous purchase by Garance Doré led Marnie to her dream project — a collaboration with DORÉ. The artist will be the first of DORÉ’s digital artist residency collection. Launched on Friday, November 22, 2019, the collection features exclusive artworks. The artist worked closely with Garance to bring together the ethos of the DORÉ brand and colour palette. The themes for the works came from three words, “Breath” “Love” and “Peace,” using a muted colour palette of soft-hued yellows, blues, and dark grey.