
Artist Bio • Mixed Media On Canvas • Mixed Media On Wood • The Uquobo Series

ARTIST BIO
Born 1956, Germany
Marni Spencer-Devlin is a self-taught artist whose first medium, from childhood on, was portraiture. In 2001, she developed a style of portraiture she called, Portraits In Stone, which were extremely realistic – the eyes would follow the viewer - larger-than-life portraits drawn on gypsum shaped to look like stone.
A triptych of these portraits fetched $23,000 at auction. Other portraits are in the private collections of Carl St. Clair, Conductor of Orange County’s Pacific Symphony; Jenna Clifford, Jenna Clifford Jewelry, Johannesburg, South Africa; Author Deepak Chopra; the Oprah Winfrey School For Girls, South Africa as well as Ellen DeGeneres who displayed her portrait on her show.
Marni began feeling restricted by the exacting medium and in 2008, she branched out into abstract expression, developing a technique, she calls painting with plaster. Initial pieces were smaller acrylics with plaster on canvas.
In 2009, she created Rust, acrylic, textured plaster and silk on 40 x 40” canvas. This piece evolved into the Uquobo Series. Uquobo is the Zulu word for essence. The pieces are not otherwise named to allowing the viewer free reign to discover its personal meaning. These very powerful 48” x 48” pieces took on a life of their own, allowing color and texture free reign in combination with a wide variety of natural as well as manmade materials such as found objects, burlap, silks, egg shells, chicken wire or other metals.

EXHIBITIONS
2008 Sawdust Festival, Laguna Beach, California
2008 Beverly Hills Art Festival, Beverly Hills, California
2009 Sawdust Festival, Laguna Beach, California
2009 Divers Gallery, Wichita, Kansas - Three Artist Exhibition
2009 Artist’s Eye Gallery, Laguna Beach, California - Featured Artist
2010 WSPCF Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa – Featured Artist
2010 Studio Gallery, Laguna Beach, California – Featured Wall Artist

12"x12" Triptych Plaster & Silverleaf On Canvas
MIXED MEDIA ON CANVAS
Marni began feeling restricted by the exacting medium and in 2008, she branched out into abstract expression, developing a technique, she calls painting with plaster. Initial pieces were primarily 12"x12" triptychs of plaster with acrylic and other mixed media on canvas.
MIXED MEDIA ON WOOD
When Marni expanded to working on wood surfaces her mixed media materials choices became bolder, using construction materials, cement and metals. At the same time design became more peaceful, exuding a zen quality that was very popular with buyers.

14"x16" Mixed Media On Canvas

Uquobo Rust - 40"x40" - Mixed Media On Canvas
THE UQUOBO SERIES
Uquobo is the Zulu word for essence. This series consists on "very powerful 48” x 48” pieces that take on a life of their own and are palpable in the room". Color and texture is given free reign. In combination with a wide variety of surprising natural and man-made materials such as burlap, silks, egg shells, chicken wire or other metals, catches the eye and captures the attention of the viewer.