Meet Marcia Söderman | Professional Artist & Art Mentor, mSol Arts

We had the good fortune of connecting with Marcia Söderman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Marcia, can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
“There’s nobody living who couldn’t stand all afternoon in front of a waterfall….Anyone who can sit on a stone in a field awhile can see my painting. Nature is like parting a curtain, you go into it….as you would cross an empty beach to look at the ocean.”*

“My paintings are not about what is seen. They are about what is known forever in the mind.”*
–Agnes Martin, Canadian-born, Taos, NM painter

Although my painting style is completely different, Agnes Martin’s quotes speak for me better about my own painting than I can. Natural elements such as water and waterfalls, skies, clouds, fire, light and land have been the main themes in my paintings. But I paint them in an abstract manner, as if they are in motion, as nature often is. For me as a young child, standing on the south shore beach of Long Island, looking out at the horizon of the Atlantic Ocean, nature did seem to ‘part like a curtain,’ and take me to the very center of my mind, a place of meditation.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I consider myself to be a lifelong art learner. I am a professional painter working in oil, watercolor, acrylic and charcoal/graphite drawings. After my immediate family, visual art has been my lifelong passion. With my paintings, I attempt to evoke states of mind and emotion, using the natural elements of light, air, fire, water as subjects. I marvel at the fact that it is all in motion, changing all the time: the power of waterfalls, the life-force of a new green twig pushing up from the earth, the transformation of nature throughout the seasons.. But it’s a double-edged theme, as I acknowledge climate change with trepidation–severe drought, the worst wildfires in New Mexico’s history and its subsequent flooding from burn scars. My work deals with both the beauty and gifts of nature, as well as its tragedies. I create paintings that are abstract or abstracted landscapes, so that they are somewhat ambiguous and have different interpretations for the same paintings. One of most recent paintings is quite abstract but can evoke a southwestern sunset or an explosion in the Ukraine at dusk, reflecting the yin-yang of life. My career route to this point has included experience in many aspects of the art world, but has ironically been ‘backwards.’ I started out as the administrative assistant of the Vice President for Development, James V. Toscano, at the Minneapolis Society of Fine Arts, which was the parent organization of The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and worked all the way back to simply being a painter (my original goal)! I’ve been drawing since early childhood and started painting before high school. After we moved from Ann Arbor to Minneapolis, I worked for seven years as a museum professional in two major art museums in the Twin Cities. While working as a museum staff member, I began graduate studies in art history, earning an M.A. and Ph.D. in late 19th century American art at the University of Minnesota. I wrote my dissertation on the Boston artist, Lilla Cabot Perry, (1848-1933) and taught courses on Women and the Arts for 20 years at the University of Minnesota and Hamline University. As I was completing my doctorate, I began graduate work in drawing and painting and earned my MFA also at the University of Minnesota. Along the way, I was an Artist-in-Residence in 20 St. Paul Public Schools, grades k-8. Kids offer unique opinions about art, helping adults see it with fresh eyes.
One of my most gratifying positions was serving an artist Mentor for WARM for 10 years. My work has been exhibited by the Dow Art Gallery, St. Paul, MN for the past 10 years. I have exhibited in a number of important juried exhibitions, especially: “Women and Water Rights: Rivers of Regeneration,” University of Minnesota, (2010) juried by Lucy Lippard, renowned feminist art critic and writer. I have curated six art exhibitions. By the time we moved to New Mexico four years ago, I had established a reputation as artist and art educator in the Twin Cities. Why New Mexico? My husband was born here and I fell in love with Santa Fe when visiting at age 15, so we moved here as soon as he retired. All of these experiences have given me a wide frame of reference when viewing, discussing or making art, and the realization with art, the more you know, the more there is to learn, to experiment with, to think about.
A recent project I am excited about is my Ukraine Relief Art Project of April 2022. I painted 13- 5″ x 7″ inch paintings, most abstractions using the colors of the Ukrainian flag, blue and yellow. I sent out an announcement of the project to a group of select people who know my work well. I offered to send them one of these paintings (chosen on a first-come, first-serve basis) as a Thank You for contributing at least $40-$45 to Ukraine Relief through Pay Pal’s donation site. In the first 24 hours, we raised $300, with several people donating more than $45. It made me so happy to be able to use my art to raise funds for Ukraine Relief, if only in a very modest way.
Prior to moving to New Mexico, I generally painted large paintings 6-9 feet wide or 4′ x 3′ to express a feeling of expansiveness. Since moving to Santa Fe, I joined the Plein Air Painters of New Mexico (PAPNM) whose juried exhibitions only accept paintings no larger than 12″ x 16″. This is because plein air painters work outside, battling the wind, rain, burning sun and the elements, and they keep their paintings small in order to carry all their equipment in and out of the painting site. I admire many of the very experienced plein air painters. Painting small works is a way for me to hone my skills, as I return to large abstract landscape paintings while I gain an understanding of the New Mexico mountainous terrain.
Has this been an easy journey? No! It’s taken a lot of work and perseverance, while constantly keeping an eye out for new opportunities, as well as the loving support of my family and friends. Has it been gratifying, challenging, joyous! Yes! I am constantly meeting intelligent, talented people in the arts fields–artists, curators, professors, students, patrons, children and just interested folks–who enrich my experiences in art-making! I am still learning!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Our favorite restaurants include several that are high-end: El Farol, especially on Flamenco nights, Geronimo, Rio Chama, the Compound. More moderately-priced but excellent restaurants include the Museum Hill Cafe (along with an afternoon exploring the Museum Hill museums), Paloma, La Choza, Maria’s, Tomasita’s, Tia Sophia’s (esp. for green chile stew and their sopapillas, and the Plaza Cafe on the Plaza. Take-out favorites include Posa’s on Rodeo and Taco Fundacion, and marvelous food trucks, such as Santa Famous, abound. It’s an understatement to say that Santa Fe is very diverse and rich culturally. Favorites include a stroll along the Palace of Governors looking at the many authentic indigenous artists’ jewelry, or visiting the many, many galleries on Canyon Road (including Owen Contemporary, Winterowd Gallery, Kay Contemporary, and Turner Carroll Gallery). Many important museums include the NM Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, and the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. The Vladem Contemporary will open in 2023 near the Railyard which also has a number of excellent galleries and restaurants, including Lew Allen Galleries, Tai Modern, form and content gallery, and the Farmer’s Market on the weekends. Having inspired Georgia O’Keeffe her entire life, the dramatic rock formations of Ghost Ranch and Echo Amphitheater in Rio Arriba County in Northern New Mexico, as well as the red rocks of the Jemez Pueblo and Mountains in Sandoval County are a must-see. There are many hiking trails in the Santa Fe National Forest, as well as winter skiing at the Santa Fe Ski Trail. In October, a pretty drive up the road to the ski area is a large dramatic view of yellow aspen with the distant mountains. The Santa Fe Opera is famous for its outdoor tailgating with its magnificent views as well as it productions. On the way back take a soak at Ten Thousand Waves. Now that the pandemic is tapering, we can explore more of the many interesting facets of the area, resulting from the mixture of three cultures-indigenous, hispanic and european-descent, such as El Rancho Los Golondrinas. And all the museums and rich cultural events in Taos, as well as the Balloon Fiesta, and museums in Albuquerque are too numerous to list. If flying in and out of the Sunport in ABQ take time to contemplate the large, beautiful paintings of the Sandia Mountains by Wilson Hurley. It will take a lifetime to explore the riches of New Mexico.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many dear friends, teachers, mentors, students, and artists who have blessed my life with each of their special gifts while encouraging me all along the way, that I can’t begin to name them all. The person who has been my biggest fan, my greatest loving supporter is my lifetime guardian, partner, best friend and husband, Matthew H. Olson, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Psychology, Hamline University, St. Paul, MN, He’s never given up on me and my art! Our daughter, Mira Valeria Olson, has a great ‘eye’ for art, and is both one of my biggest supporters, as well as my greatest constructive critic. When I’m stuck on a painting, she can zero in on exactly what area isn’t working, and she’s right. Several family members, especially my late mother, my sister and brother-in-law, my niece and nephew have been very supportive and have patronized my paintings with purchases! Others who have mentored me were my two MFA advisers, Professor Emeritus Diane Katsiaficas, and Associate Professor Joyce Lyon, both retired from the University of Minnesota. Their insight and encouragement was immeasurable in helping me grow as an artist My colleagues who were Mentors and Protégées in the WARM Mentor Program provided us with an arts community whose common goal is to support women artists to develop as professionals. Women’s Art Resources of Minnesota (WARM) is one of the oldest women’s art co-ops in the nation. I was honored to be a Mentor in that program for over a decade before moving to New Mexico. I am very thankful to those patrons who appreciate my art, love it and purchased it. Several have become longtime friends, such as TC TOSCA magazine publisher, Gail Weber, who featured my work both on the cover and in an article in TOSCA, an arts and culture magazine published in the Twin Cities for over 10 years. My work has also been published in several publications, including the highly-regarded Studio Magazine, in 2010. I’m very grateful to my gallerist and framer for over 10 years, Khanh Tran, Director and Owner of Dow Art Gallery, St. Paul, MN, who makes my work handsome! And I am thankful for all those who have taken art instruction with me, from 4-6 year olds at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, from students in my 20 art residencies in the St. Paul Public Schools, grades K-12, to college students who took my classes in formal settings and adults who have taken my workshops. I prefer to call them my partners in lifelong art learning, sharing my (and usually their) great joy in making art! And I’m enjoying getting to know the camaraderie and generous sharing of expertise of the highly talented Plein Air Painters of New Mexico (PAPNM). I am honored to have had my work chosen by a number of important curators for important exhibitions, such as Margaret Welshons, curator for the Hudson Hospital Arts Program of the Phipps Center for the Arts, Hudson, Wisconsin; Dr. Lyndel King, retired Director and Curator for the Weisman Art Museum, University of Minnesota, for selection in a juried exhibit at the Bloomington Arts Center (now Artistry), Ron Ridgeway, Curator of Tractor Works, Minneapolis, where I held a large solo show in 2014, and Art Critic Lucy Lippard, who juried my work into “Women and Water Rights: Rivers of Regeneration,” University of Minnesota, 2010. And last, but not least, I am honored by my nomination for “Arizona Shoutout” by DJ. Hill, published poet and talented Santa Fe artist and photographer.

Website: mSol Arts www.marciasöderman.com

Linkedin: my site is very old and out of use.

Facebook: Under reconstruction – I’ve been hacked.

Other: WAC – Women’s Art Caucus of Minnesota PAPNM- Plein Air Painters of New Mexico