Marcia Goldenstein received her MFA degree in Painting from the University of Nebraska. She has been a visiting artist at the National Academy of Fine Arts, Bratislava, Slovakia; Sichuan University, Chengdu, Beihang University, Beijing; University of Texas, San Antonio; Arizona State University, University of Indianapolis; and other universities and museums. She exhibits her work widely in the US, Europe and China. She is Professor Emeritus of Painting and Drawing at the University of Tennessee School of Art.

I have found that working in series offers me the opportunity to explore an image/idea both individually and within a group of related works. An image on its own has a certain intimacy, but placed in proximity with other related images it becomes an integral part of a new form, new language, new identity, new meaning.

The grid of fifty contrail paintings explores the abstract in contemporary landscape: artificial, geometric clouds create a variety of transitory graffiti. The changes in the color of sky and the pencil thin or dispersed vapors provide a rich variety of images.

Representing women aritsts in “stitches” is my metaphor for a laugh at the criticism they often encountered, but also ironically uses a form that is historically considered “women’s work”. For this project I was able to combine the traditional craft of embroidery with my professional experience in painting and drawing. I find, not so surprisingly, that the activities demand the same formal, compositional and observational qualities. Building an image with thread is the same as with any mark-making material.