Meet Marlee Winters | Printmaker

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

Hi Marlee, what are you inspired by?
I enjoy spending my time outdoors finding new adventure and inspiration; I suppose nature is my greatest muse. Most all of my work is inspired by the beauty and balance that can be found in the natural world around, and within us. Symmetry and sacred geometry have always intrigued me, especially the ways shapes and patterns present themselves in nature. There is something mystical about the unexplainable patterns that exist within our universe, and that is what will keep me exploring for as long as I can, both in my art and the great outdoors. I also try to surround myself with fellow artists, creatives, and makers. I dearly miss the shared studio space and creative community that art school provided, but I have found that as long as I surround myself with creative people and environments, it helps keep my inspiration and creative spark alive. I’ve found a similar sense of community in the people I meet at markets, shows, and events — my fellow makers, and also strangers that stop by and show interest in my art. Some of the best ideas and conversations have sparked this way.Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a visual artist and printmaker native to the Atlanta area, focusing primarily in woodcut relief printing. The physicality of carving is the most therapeutic part to me, I find it so aptly named… “relief”. I just love the way wood carving feels and sounds, and the organic marks it creates in an image. I was immediately drawn to the process-oriented aspects of printmaking. Relief printing is a pretty old school print technique, but it’s my favorite! I love working through each step of the process, the reward being the one-of-a kind multiples at the end. Last year I started working in a screen printing shop as well, so I am enjoying working and learning more about that printmaking technique, and I look forward to incorporating that medium into my work more regularly as well. I’ve been printmaking for about a decade now, and it has taken years to find and develop my personal style as an artist, but I know it will be an ever-evolving learning process. I hope to never stop learning, growing, and exploring as an artist – I think that is the beauty of the process.Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Hopefully we are talking sans COVID… that would be a lot more fun. So let’s see…. I would definitely recommend seeing some live music. Terminal West, Tabernacle, Variety Playhouse, and Aisle 5 are my favorite venues. So, if we catch a show in L5P, we could pregame with some burgers at the Vortex and an Irish coffee at Java Lords… maybe a little shopping and bar hopping too (oh, the good ole days). I’m not a huge sports fanatic, but I do love to go to the ATL UTD games, so we would definitely have to tailgate and catch a game. (VAMOS! VAMOS! VAMOS A-T-L!) If they aren’t playing at home, maybe we could grab some scooters and watch the game at a local brewery. Scofflaw would be my choice downtown, Schoolhouse would be my choice close to home. My favorite part of living in the metro ATL area is how much nature surrounds the area, without having to travel far. So we would have to do some camping/hiking/kayaking as well. Maybe camping somewhere on the lake or shoot the hooch one day, and there are plenty of local hiking/biking trails we could check out too. I vend at art markets most weekends, so we would probably spend Saturday at the Marietta Square Market, and there are a bunch of great restaurants we could go to for lunch on the square too. Sunday I’ll likely have a popup market at another brewery. Cheers! As much as I enjoy being out and about, I do love to spend some time at home too. So we would probably do a good bit of kicking it at the house too – cooking, eating and drinking, reading, and playing some games.Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I wouldn’t even know what relief printing was if it weren’t for the School of Art and Design at Kennesaw State University. More specifically, my printmaking professor, Valerie Dibble. Once I took Dibble’s Printmaking 101 class, I was hooked. I fell in love with the processes and ended up pursuing a printmaking concentration for my BFA. Dibble isn’t just a great professor with a wealth of knowledge and professional experience in printmaking techniques, she also makes learning down right fun. I still find myself singing some of the hilarious printing song parodies she taught us while I’m working in my home studio. She has inspired and challenged me as an artist, and I miss learning in her studio every day. Even after graduation, she makes a point to stay in touch with her students and encourage them in their artistic journey, and I am forever grateful for her.

Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MarleeWintersArt

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MarleeWintersArt/