Marilyn Hurst

Bio

In the early nineties it was time to rediscover myself and I underwent an existential crisis culminating in an urge to take up painting. The first tentative steps were portraiture, which proved to be most cathartic and transformative to my whole being. Since that time, the work has expanded beyond anything I could have dreamed or imagined.

It would seem that life thrives on change and the transition to becoming an artist has been a tremendous learning curve and along the way I have developed a new found respect for the resolve which is necessary to make the art profession work for oneself.

In 1997 I moved to Cabo San Lucas, Baja, Mexico, with new husband and artist mentor Chris MacClure. We opened a 2nd floor studio in the downtown area and that is where the real art education began for me. As testimony to the creative spirit, over the next 13 years our humble beginnings morphed into becoming the most respected art gallery in Los Cabos and the Golden Cactus Gallery’s eclectic collection of artists and art became the benchmark of excellence for the southern Baja.

Operating a gallery in a foreign country was challenging, but it allowed me to paint full time and curating the art in the gallery gave the opportunity to hone and refine my art appreciation. As always it was the excitement of the Mexican culture which provided ongoing inspiration, but it is the joy that comes from reaching within oneself and letting the expression flow from the silence that gives life to my work.

My paintings reflect a ménage of life experience, and creative energy. The landscapes, florals and expressionist abstracts are as always, inspired by the colors of Mexico and the beauty of my home in the Pacific Northwest.