Artist Statement

As a realist, I am thematically interested in the here and now and centering my work in my own time by dealing with commonplace everyday events and people (relationships, motherhood, work) as well as the socio-political climate of the day.

I enjoy working in graphite and Prismacolor when drawing and like to use gouache, watercolor and acrylic when painting. As a printmaker, I have explored serigraphy, offset lithography, etching and aquatint. My photography includes high contrast, stop motion and macro imaging of landscapes, portraits and still life. In addition, I work in mixed media collage and combine tight imagery with spontaneous, accidental and improvisational subject matter.

Although I am inspired by Pop Art, photography and editorial illustration, my work is rooted in Photorealism—the reintroduction of the importance of process and deliberate planning, draftsmanship and exacting brushwork—all of which are prized over improvisation and automatism.

While Photorealism complicates the notion of realism by successfully mixing together that which is real with what is unreal, the image is still recognizable and carefully delineated to suggest its accuracy. Because my artwork is based on my own photographs as well as direct observation, however, it remains somewhat distanced from reality both factually and metaphorically.

I am concerned with the representation of light as well as the interaction of light and color. By using a projected image on paper or canvas, I am able to unite color and light together as one element. The capturing of light is most evident in my works that display the use of highly reflective surfaces such as glass, chrome and metal.

I often attempt to recreate the affects of blurriness and multiple viewpoints, which photography favors. While the resulting image is realistic, it is simultaneously one stage away from reality due to its dependence upon the reproduced image. Therefore, the work questions traditional artistic methods as well as the differences between reality and artificiality.

Education

1977 MFA University of California, Los Angeles
1976 MA University of California, Los Angeles
1974 BA University of California, Los Angeles

Bio

Marilyn Eisenberg is a nationally exhibited fine artist, award-winning educator, published writer, art/design consultant and public relations/ marketing specialist who graduated summa cum laude from the University of California, Los Angeles. A California native, she has lived and worked on both coasts as well as in the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and Southwest.

Eisenberg has taught pre-K through 12th grade classes as well as undergraduate and graduate courses in fine art, two- and three-dimensional design, color theory, fashion design, graphic design, interior design, furniture design, art history, art appreciation and marketing. Influenced by attending the first Earth Day in Los Angeles in 1970, her classes stress the use of sustainable, recycled and repurposed materials.

She has been an adjunct faculty member at more than 25 academic institutions including UCLA; Otis College of Art and Design; California State University, Long Beach; California State University, Los Angeles; Santa Monica College; George Washington University; The Art Institute of Phoenix; and the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture. The majority of her former students have stayed in touch with her for decades and currently work all over the world making significant contributions in art and design.

Eisenberg is committed to philanthropy and supervised the first Habitat for Humanity project in southeastern Kansas while serving as President of the Arts and Humanities Council for the City of Parsons. As a member of Color Marketing Group and the National Association of Women Writers, she participated on the Board of Directors of the Phoenix Art Museum’s Contemporary Forum, the Arizona Myeloma Network and Arizona Woman magazine.

She also worked for renowned designers Charles and Ray Eames, Deborah Sussman and Taliesin Architects. In addition, she served for a decade as Office Manager/PR Director to Tamara B. Thomas, founder of Fine Arts Services, Inc., the firm that pioneered the field of art consulting by recognizing an inter-disciplinary approach for integrating site-specific public art with architecture, urban design and landscape. While in this position, she assisted in the development of significant art collections for Fortune 100 companies and private clients worldwide.

Contact Email

[email protected]