Mariella Bisson
Mariella Bisson is a true Vermonter, born in a house owned by Robert Frost. She spent her early years in the Northern Kingdom and its influences remain with her today.
A graduate of Pratt Institute with a BFA in Drawing and an MS in Museum Education from Bank Street College of Education, Mariella was an active participant in the New York City art scene. An early loft pioneer in Brooklyn, she worked with alternative art spaces and was both a curator and director of various public venues. She was always drawn back to the mountains and began to explore areas away from the city. Shortly after 9/11, she decided to move.
"While grappling with the problems in depicting waterfalls, I hit upon the idea of making them in collaged fragments. I have been developing this technique ever since.
"My collages are made of hundreds of bits of paper glued into position like fragments in a mosaic. Using initial watercolor or gouache paintings rendered outdoors, I work in my studio to enlarge and embellish my first impressions, emphasizing edges of forms and surfaces to emulate textures of rock, water and foliage. Drawing is always at the heart of my work.
"While my paintings convey information about what I saw, more importantly they interpret the emotional and spiritual landscape and strengthen my connection to its beauty and power."
Mariella's work can be found in museums, corporate and private collections throughout the world. She is the recipient of numerous grants, fellowships and awards. She currently lives in upstate New York and works in her studio in a renovated shirt factory.