- Inquireabstract, representational, surreal, conceptual, collage, spiritual icons, symbolism, meditative, eclectic, symbolic, unique, peculiar, psychological, otherworldly, narrative
- Biography
Mary Koenen Clausen’s mixed media collages are rich in texture and image. Her works frequently are comprised of three visual fields or planes: the heavens, earth, and underworld. Figures composed of mismatched heads and bodies float among animals, icons, musical notes, and foreign texts on backgrounds thickly painted with deep hues. Mary sees the musical notes, symbols and foreign text, many of which she reproduces in her own hand, as messages emanating from her spiritual guides while channeling energy from other time and space dimensions. Hers is a truly unique creative process.
Mary says of her process: “Collage is a matter of refining design. I sit with the pieces scattered around me and they come together. I always think in terms of layers. I don’t treat collage differently from painting.” She gathers her material from Italian magazines, 17th and 18th century Bibles, antique books, among other sources. Mary also uses photographs of her surroundings in her work. Her home and studio are full of paintings, photographs, wall hangings, dolls, and other collected objects, an environment that reflects the complexity of her work.Statement
"Since childhood, I have had a lensing system that has permitted my access to a certain kind of knowledge. At about five years of age I became a voluntary mute. This was in large part because when I started school, I, like all the others were expected to gain all kinds of skills that had to do with socialization, and memorization. I felt increasingly conflicted with what was coming at me from the outside world in sharp contrast to all the feelings and perceptions I was gaining from listening to my own inside world- thus the lensing system was born. I simply shut out what I felt took away from my ability to gain “internal knowledge”.
What became my filtering process has stayed with me through all of my experiences in life. It is the source of my art and my life. Art became a very significant idea and activity for me from about age three and continues into the present. I have allowed my perceptions to become refined, and with this and my internal creative drive I have developed a natural process of what determines my images, use of technique, choice of colors, and overall designs in my work. This process is what I choose to call knowledge gaining.
The visual impact of my work can be experienced on many levels, depending on one’s individual readiness for receiving progressive levels of deeper and deeper internal feeling. The esthetic ideal of my work is to nurture and ready the soul to wake up to a much larger reality. The functional ideal of my work is to house in a two dimensional format the designs necessary for one to access a new perspective from which to view larger and larger bodies of ideas and consciousness itself. It is my greatest pleasure to be able to help bring in new languages of “being” from worlds that we can only guess at today, but which will hopefully help expand our worlds of tomorrow."Previous ExhibitionsVideo - Exhibitions
2018
UNWRAPPED. ArtServe, Fort Lauderdale FL
IMPRESSIONS, Joint Show. The Gilded Pear Gallery, Cedar Rapids IA
2015
Olson-Larsen Gallery, Des Moines IA
The Sanctuary Gallery, Iowa City IA
2007
Group Show, Olson-Larsen Gallery, Des Moines IA
Annual Juried Exhibition, Augustana College, Rock Island IL
Dubuque Museum of Art- Biennial Juried Exhibition, Dubuque IA
2006
Voices Group Show, Dubuque Museum of Art, Dubuque IA
Group Show, Olson Larsen Gallery, Des Moines IA
Joint Show, Mid-Coast Gallery West, Rock Island IL
First Place, Annual Juried Exhibition, Augustana College, Rock Island, IL
2005 Group Show, Olson Larsen Gallery, Des Moines IA
2004 Group Show, Olson Larsen Gallery, Des Moines IA
1995 FEATURED ARTIST EXHIBITION, Gallery Ten, Rockford, IL
1994
SPIRITUALLY AND DEATH, A National Juried Show, Gallery 451, Rockford IL
THE WORD IN ART, An Invitational Exhibition, Davenport Art Museum, Davenport IA
1993
Annual Juried Exhibition, Augustana College, Rock Island IL
STATE OF THE ART 93, NE ART EXPO SHOW, Boston MA
RIVER MARKET REGIONAL EXHIBITION, KCAC Gallery, Kansas City KS
One Woman Exhibition, University Hospital, Iowa City IA
1992 One Woman Exhibition,, Quad Cities Arts, Rock Island IL
1991
One Woman Exhibition, Mimzi III Gallery, Davenport IA
QUAD CITIES SHOWCASE SHOW, Davenport Art Museum, Davenport IA
ARTISTS 1991 SHOW, Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines IA
One Woman Exhibition, Unity Gallery, Maharishi International University, Fairfield, IA
Inclusion in Iowa Arts Council Slide Bank
1990
QUAD CITIES SHOWCASE SHOW, Davenport Art Museum, Davenport, Iowa
ONE WOMAN SOLO SPACE, Iowa City- Johnson County Arts Association, Iowa City IA
1989
One Woman Exhibition, Unity Gallery, Maharishi International University, Fairfield IA
QUAD CITIES SHOWCASE SHOW, Davenport Art Museum, Davenport IA
One Woman Exhibition, St. Ambrose University Galvin Fine Arts Center, Davenport, IA
Inclusion in Iowa Arts Council Slide Bank
Education University of Northern Iowa. Cedar Falls IA — B.F.A.
Private Collections
Brunnier Art Museum, Iowa State University, Ames IA
Liz Fanning, Portland OR
Jan Hurt, Abingdon VA
Kirke Financial Services Corporation, Des Moines, IA
Sarah Morrison, Washington IA
Mark Stevenson, Iowa City IA
Len Walker, Austin TX