Studio Visit with painter Dick Marconi – Santa Ana, CA

16 Apr Studio Visit with painter Dick Marconi – Santa Ana, CA

This is the first of a series of studio visits with OC artists, and occasionally non-OC artists. . .  but we won't hold it against them.

In my constant quest to sniff-out art in the OC, I came across Mr. Dick Marconi.  Yup, that's right. . . the same guy from the Marconi Automotive Museum, which by the way has some amazing drool-worthy cars and if you have not gotten up to Tustin to check them out. . . put it on your calendar! (www.marconimuseum.org)

When I heard that Mr. Marconi was a 76 year old prolific artist, and quite the character, my interest was piqued. As luck would have it, he agred to meet with me yesterday in Santa Ana. 

  Galleria Marconi resides in one of the those stellar live-work spaces on Main St in Santa Ana, the City Place (that is the center where Mother's is for all you veggies out there).  The rumors were all true.  Marconi produces artwork with a vitality that is astounding, and his mixed media abstractions utilize color and form to hold the viewers attention.  

Before meeting him I decided to do some homework and discovered that he works with a technique he calls "color fusion,"  which is somewhere between action painting and lyrical abstraction. Like Jackson Pollock ( famous for his drip, pour, and gesture paintings- late 1940s to mid 1950s), Marconi works on a horizontal surface manipulating the paint and abandoning traditional uses of brushes for a more physical approach.  Marconi negotiates with liquid surfaces of color and medium (I like to call 

the 'secret sauce'), making chance an integral part in the color fusion recipe.  

He also extends the invitation for audiences to go ahead and touch the paintings.  Marconi says that those luscious surfaces are not only durable, but an integral part of the viewing experience.

The first Friday of every month ( 4-9pm) the City Place offers a gallery walk where you can experience these paintings for yourself, not to mention meet the man behind the color fusion technique.

Thanks Dick for opening up your gallery to us!

Dick Marconi in the Galleria Marconi

For information regarding Dick Marconi or the Galleria Marconi please contact Midge Herbst, Executive Director  midgeiam@aol.com, (714) 550-1003

Galleria Marconi

105 City Place

Santa Ana, CA 92704

Next week sculptor Laurie Hassold is giving us a sneak-peak of the work she is making for the upcoming exhibition Art Shack at the Laguna Art Museum.

stay tuned. . .