Layered Stories in Colours:
The Artistic Vision of MarieArt
By Nicola Polloni
January 2025 – MarieArt is a renowned artist from Messina, Sicily. I first met her by chance, and I was immediately captivated by the triumph of shapes, emotions, and colours emanating from her paintings. As the new year begins, already steeped in concerns and fears of an uncertain future, I can think of no better way to start it than by embarking on a journey of hope and creativity through a conversation with MarieArt.
In this interview, MarieArt takes us through her artistic journey, emphasising her unique approach to blending tradition, experimentation, and contemporary themes. She reflects on the transformative role of art in society, explaining how her works – infused with unconventional materials like salt, sugar, and stucco – carry crucial symbolic messages of hope and renewal. Her deep connection to Sicilian culture, with its vibrant colours, myths, and traditions, serves as a constant source of inspiration, anchoring her creative expression.
About MarieArt
MarieArt (Maria Lo Presti) is a self-taught Sicilian artist who channels her lifelong passion for art into distinctive, deeply personal works. Inspired by her surroundings, emotions, and travel, her paintings often explore myths, legends, and contemporary themes, using vibrant, unmixed colours to convey messages of hope and emotion. Working primarily with acrylics and incorporating textured elements like stucco, she creates layered, tactile pieces without preparatory sketches. Influenced by various artistic movements but tied to none, MarieArt’s unique style reflects her creativity, blending tradition, experimentation, and a profound connection to her Sicilian heritage.
To explore more about her creative process and see beautiful samples of her work, visit her official website: https://marieart.it/
The Interview
NP: Dear MarieArt, thank you immensely for this interview. It is truly a pleasure to have the opportunity to speak with you about your wonderful art. Let us begin with a slightly more personal question: what drew you into the world of painting
M: I am deeply grateful to you for this wonderful opportunity. I have always loved art, and over the years, I have always painted, even though the mediums I used varied. I have painted furniture, frames, walls, chandeliers, plates, and decorative objects. Eventually, I returned to using canvas as a base, but I applied to it what I had learned over the years through restoration. For some years now, I have been very focused on experimentation, using salt, sugar, and bicarbonate. These not only give a textured aspect to the painting but also represent a symbolic nourishment for the soul. I adore the sound they make on the canvas, as if one could hear the voice of my thoughts through them. I also use stucco extensively, which symbolises both cause and repair, aptly representing the passage of time and the effort of thought.
NP: Art that spreads across objects and people, absorbing practices and techniques to reshape reality, but ultimately brought you back to the canvas. Do you feel that working on canvas provides you with a different space for expression compared to other mediums and techniques?
M: At this specific moment, I prefer canvas because it is practical, easy to obtain, and allows me to work on several pieces at once. Additionally, I often paint outdoors, and the canvas is my faithful companion, giving me the freedom to immediately express my feelings and sensations.
NP: Your works are a triumph of colours, shapes, and passions. What is your main source of inspiration?
M: When I paint, I follow my instinct, drawing inspiration from the colours around me. Even after a journey, the impressions I gather remain within me and, as if by magic, guide me. Anything can be a source of inspiration: a book, an event, a memory – sometimes even unconscious – that gradually emerges through the painting. Certainly, Sicilian culture, with its colours and traditions, which I have breathed in since birth, is recognisable in my art.
NP: Do you hold any of your many paintings particularly close to your heart?
M: I love all my paintings and rarely regret them once they are complete. I consider a painting finished when it perfectly aligns with the idea I had in mind. However, I can say I am particularly attached to the section to which I devoted myself initially and have never truly abandoned: Myths and Legends. This section tells of Greek myths and legends and was born out of research and the study of legends passed down in Sicily, which have always fascinated me. The fact that they are set in Sicily allows me to recognise the movement of the characters in the landscapes, making me feel as though I am momentarily catapulted into the scene of the work.
NP: It is indeed a fascinating theme. One of your paintings that struck me the most is Telling the Tale of Ulysses Between Scylla and Charybdis (Raccontando Ulisse tra Scilla e Cariddi), where the myth is transfigured into a total dynamism. The very sea of the Strait transforms into a source of life – both life-giving and destructive – a simultaneous bearer of hope and oblivion. Are there any other stories or myths particularly significant for your artistic production?
M: I am delighted that you like Telling the Tale of Ulysses. It was wonderful to recount that legend. A painting I hold dear at this moment is Planet Earth Is in Our Hands (Il pianeta Terra è nelle nostre mani). In it, I address the plight of our much-afflicted Earth amidst recent events, placing hope in young people as bearers of a new reality and peace. Surely, the legacy we are leaving is very burdensome, filled with chaos and wars.
NP: Today’s world is marked by profound social tensions. In your view, does the artist have a specific role in society? In other words, how can or should an artist relate to contemporary society?
M: At first, I thought I could never engage with current affairs, precisely because the events around us are not always beautiful. But suddenly, through a painting, I became aware that we are children of this era and cannot avoid recounting its events, which constantly permeate us. My colours always carry messages of hope and are never used pessimistically. In many of my paintings, this hope is placed in future generations. However, it is clear how necessary a drastic change of course on our part is if this hope is ever to become a certainty. For me, art is undoubtedly my voice, the only one I know to make myself heard.
NP: Unfortunately, these uncertain times affect our lives on multiple levels. If I may ask, which painting made you realise the inseparable link between art and society?
M: I reflected deeply and was profoundly moved while painting The Weight of Words (Il peso delle parole). In it, I depict how words have immense weight, capable even of breaking bodies. The painting that, instead, led me to engage with current affairs is Rebirth (Rinascita), which ignites the hope of a future for a child rescued from a shipwreck.
NP: What are your plans for the near future?
M: I hope to continue giving voice to my art – new colours, new adventures, and new stories await me.
NP: Thank you so much, MarieArt! It has been an immense pleasure speaking with you. Before we part, I have one last question for you. Do you have any advice for young creatives who are just beginning their journey into the art world?
M: To young people, I would certainly say to let themselves be enchanted by art, always believe in their dreams, and nurture their uniqueness. Vital pillars will undoubtedly be perseverance, study, and determination. To adults, I wish they continue to marvel like children because art is emotion and wonder. Thank you so much for your time.
©️Nicola Polloni | “Layered Stories in Colours: The Artistic Vision of MarieArt”, IPM Monthly 4/1 (2025).
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