Artist’s Statement

 
Since antiquity, the image of a flower in art has been associated with the notion that both life and beauty are short lived. The term vanitas is associated with a painting in which wilted or cut flowers appear next to a death bed thereby alluding to the futility of earthly possessions in the face of inevitable death.  Paintings were imbued with symbolic meaning.  The dragonfly considered a kind of fly is a negative symbol and embodies the image of evil.  Whereas the butterfly, because of its unique quality of transforming itself and escaping from its cocoon, is considered a symbol of salvation.  In the famous painting by Jan Van Eyck, The Arnolfini Marriage, apples on the sideboard allude to original sin, while the simple appearance of his wooden clogs and her slippers near the settee may be indications that the room has been made sacred by the promise of marriage.  This may be why the couple are humbly barefoot; in other words, this space is now as sacred as the Mosque or Temple or Church. Steeped in symbolism represented pictorially these early works imply a depth of meaning impossible to portray otherwise.

Progressing forward through time to the 19th Century, we find the Symbolism movement originating in France and Belgium as a reaction against the arts eventual evolution into naturalism and realism.  Their members including poets, artists and theatre arts sought to represent absolute truths symbolically and with metaphor.

Simply put, my work is an interpretation of these traditions wherein symbolism is at the very root of all I do.  I once read a statement by the Artist Louise Bourgeois which sent a clear message: “If my work does not move you, then I have failed”.  In my case, if the implied message within my work does not move or frighten you to action or inspire you to consider the interconnectedness of all things, then I too have failed.

Artworks by Mardi Burnham | Artist Portfolio
Artworks by Mardi Burnham | Artist Portfolio
Artworks by Mardi Burnham | Artist Portfolio
Artworks by Mardi Burnham | Artist Portfolio

Resumé

 

Solo Exhibits

  • Gallery Route One, Pt. Reyes Station, CA
  • Thoreau Center for Sustainability, San Francisco
  • Allrich Gallery, “Introductions”, San Francisco
  • 1990 Piazza Del Sol, Hollywood, California

Selected Group Exhibitions

  • Stinson Beach Gallery, Stinson Beach, California
  • Evergold Gallery, San Francisco, California
  • Gallery Route One, January Juried Show, Juror: Kenneth Bather – Award of Merit
  • Sloan Miyasato, San Francisco, California
  • Gallery Route One, Pt. Reyes Station, California
  • Arts Commission Gallery, San Francisco, California
  • MatrixArts, Sacramento, California
  • Gallery Route One, Pt. Reyes Station, California
  • Sloan Miyasato, San Francisco, California
  • Allrich Gallery, San Francisco, California
  • Limn, San Francisco, California
  • San Francisco Airport Commission, United Terminal
  • Allrich Gallery, San Francisco, California
  • Allrich Gallery, San Francisco, California
  • Columbia College, Colombia, Missouri
  • Koret Gallery, Palo Alto, California
  • Chautauqua Art Association, Chautauqua, New York

Selected Exhibitions

  • Laguna Gloria Art Museum, Austin, Texas
  • California College Of Arts And Crafts, San Francisco
  • Long Island University, Brooklyn, New York
  • Alexandria Museum Of Art, Alexandria, Louisiana
  • Arts Cooperative, Berkeley, California
  • Reese Bullen Gallery, Arcata, California
  • Francis Young Gallery, Ross, California
  • Auburn Art Center, Auburn, California
  • Central Missouri State University, Warrensburg, Missouri
  • Arts Commission Gallery, San Francisco, California
  • Virginia Brier Gallery, San Francisco, California
  • Richmond Art Center, Richmond, California
  • Hockaday Center For The Arts, Kalispell, Montana
  • Chautauqua Art Center, Chautauqua, New York
  • Humboldt Cultural Center, Humboldt, California
  • University Of Hawaii, Hilo, Hawaii
  • Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley, California
  • The Galleries Of The Brand Art Center, Glendale, Ca
  • Corpus Christi Art Center, Corpus Christi, Texas
  • Mendocino Art Center, Mendocino, California
  • Las Cruses Art Center, Las Cruses, New Mexico

Residencies

Teton Science Schools, Kelly, Wyoming

Gallery Affiliation

  • 1980-2010 San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Artist’s Gallery, Ft. Mason, San Francisco, CA
  • 1980-1990 Allrich Gallery, San Francisco, CA

Awards

  • 2011 Gallery Route One, Merit Award (Kenneth Baker, Juror)
  • Texas Fine Arts Association, Honorable Mention (John Caldwell, Juror)
  • Alexandria Museum Of Art, Honorable Mention (Neal Benezra, Juror)
  • Auburn Arts Center, Honorable Mention (Rena Bransten, Juror)
  • San Mateo Arts Council, Merit Award (Anne Macdonald, Juror)

Residencies

  • Teton Science Schools, Kelly, Wyoming

Commissions

  • Florio Bistro, Mural Installation, San Francisco, California
  • Chiron Corporation, “Artwalls,” Emeryville, California
  • Mccann-Erickson Advertising, “Artwalls,” San Francisco, California
  • Museum Parc Condominiums, “Artwalls,” San Francisco, California

Publications

  • Fashionlines.com Feature Story, August 2000
  • San Francisco Modern, Loft Living, By Zahid Sadar
  • Office Spaces, Office Places, Chiron Corp., Rockport Publications
  • San Francisco Examiner Magazine, September 1996,  Zahid Sadar
  • San Francisco Examiner, July 1990, “Fresh Names…”

Teaching

  • Hamlin School for Girls, San Francisco, California
  • DeYoung Museum, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California
  • Teton Science Schools, Kelly, Wyoming
  • Art For Kids, San Francisco, CA
  • Community College of Denver, Guest Lecturer

Education

  • Colorado State University, BFA Painting/Printmaking 1975
  • Post Graduate Study
    • Claremont College, Renaissance Painting, Claremont, California
    • San Francisco Art Institute, Experimental Film, San Francisco, California
    • California College of Art, Papermaking with Don Farnsworth, Oakland, California
    • San Francisco State University, Experimental Film, San Francisco, California

© Mardi Burnham. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Website by Studio Anansi.

© Mardi Burnham. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy.
Website by Studio Anansi.