“I paint feverishly – without stopping or stepping back from the canvas until I have covered at least half of the surface.”
Marion Geiger has been expressing herself through her painting since she can remember. She followed an exceptional early career, establishing herself as a significant South African artist, exhibiting both locally and overseas.
She is now again practicing her art full time, after her motherhood sabbatical, during which she has gained new perspective and the inspiration to express a deeper femininity and appreciation of what it means to be a woman.
“As a woman, I am able to draw from within my own femininity to explore the borders of sensuality – most noticeable perhaps in my portraits. There is a new depth and variety in my paintings, which I feel has evolved from my experience as mother, wife and woman.”
“ I try to create a strong emotional moment, sometimes intimate and private, at other times evocative and powerful; even when experiencing emotional pain and suffering, or during periods of joy, my paintings become a diary of unspoken emotions.”
My early years and influences
• The opportunity to experience the African bush, on my family’s game reserve, all through my childhood – a major influence on my work
• Distinction in Art from the Johannesburg school of Art, Ballet and Music
• Travel through Europe and America
• 1980: Fine Arts at the Cape Technikon
• 1983:Received diploma with awards in Painting and Drawing
• 1984: A move to Stuttgart, Germany to study at the Kunst Academy majoring in Print Making
“This is where I discovered how important the soul and psyche of a painting are and why today, if I had to try and explain the style of my paintings, then the fauvist school comes to mind. But I cannot ignore the stronger expressionist influence in my German background – yet without the angst.”
• Began drawing inspiration from the German Expressionists
• European tour of galleries to further study expressionist painting
• 1987: Move to USA to open an art studio to concentrate on my own work
• Taught at the Chicago Art Academy & exhibited my work
• A move to New York
• Enrolled at Art Student League & exhibited at various New York galleries
• Returned to Cape Town; accepted a part-time teaching post at the Technikon
“The power of colour plays such an important part in my paintings that it almost becomes my primary tool of expression.”
“I almost ‘draw’ with the paintbrushes, which gives my paintings a feeling of freedom and spontaneity.”
First major solo exhibition and beyond
• 1991 – first solo exhibition – Karen McKerron Gallery, Johannesburg
• Invited to island of Madeira to paint scenes of the island for a year
• 1992: Subsequent exhibition in Lisbon of my work in Madeira – complete sell out
• Preparation for an exhibition in New York (1995)
• Invited to an International workshop in Prague as a South African contemporary artist
• Settled in Cape Town with my French husband to continue painting towards local exhibitions and international commissions and to start a family
Marion ’s wildlife watercolors
Marion paints watercolor wildlife on her family’ game farm, Motswari. Here she sets up a temporary bush studio and captures the essence of animals by painting them in their environment.
“I am naturally drawn to wildlife, which seems incongruous to the other work I do, but it is a very real part of my life. I use watercolor because of the fluidity the medium offers me. Watercolor isn’t heavy like oil and gives me the same sensation of the fleeting moment of the experience of game in the wild; our minds are not like photos, they aren’t static; watercolor expresses the transience of the animal.”
Marion manages to translate the raw power of the brilliant colours of Africa, which is a challenge not many artists can meet. She transforms watercolour into light and movement. Extravagant, abstract yet explicit, these surfaces reflect the infinite forms and textures of nature and its wildness.
Marion clarifies the expressionist nature in her paintings
Subject Matter
“Each subject has an inner energy.”
“The emotional interaction I have with my subject is a pivotal part of my identity and purpose as an artist. The intrinsic spirit of my subject seems to surface intuitively as I use my tools as an artist to capture this on canvas and paper. I have a conversation with the canvas as I go."
“My subjects start with paint, the colour and the expression that this evokes - whether I am painting landscapes, still lifes or figures, whether I am painting in watercolour, oils or printmaking.”
On portraits & landscapes
“Although I work in themes, I don’t feel restricted by them but allow my creativity to freely give expression to my visual experiences.
“When painting portraits, I try to reveal the soul by using the person’s physiognomy, never losing my initial feeling.”
“When painting landscapes I am moved by the power of the elements. I try to capture this through powerful brushstrokes and lavish paint. When painting flowers, for instance, I try to capture not just their beauty, but also their sensuality, sometimes increasing their size to make a passionate statement.”
Mediums & Tools
“I use almost any tool that enables me to express my urge to paint through it.
“Each medium has its own particular characteristics, which I enjoy. Crossing barriers from one technique to another brings me freedom rather than intimidating me. I pursue the feeling of ease that spontaneity gives me. I enjoy experimenting.”
Light & colour
“I use colour intuitively and passionately, and try to reach deep inside myself for the feeling the colour evokes. The power of colour and intensity of light has a lasting influence on my palette, after the year spent in Madeira.”
“I am not afraid of colour, whether using it to express joy, or the darker moments in my life. Vibrant colour heightens the emotional impact and meaning of my paintings. It is like the spinal cord, which runs through all my work.”
“Since my origins are African, the bright natural light plays an important part on colour perception.”
“Geiger’s work has enormous vigour. Strong colour and dramatic brushwork infuse landscapes of tangled trees and still lifes with great feeling and bold portraits seize on the essentials of subjects’ physiognomy. Spontaneity does not degenerate into the slapdash: one remains aware of the guiding spirit.” – Michael Coulson, Financial Mail
“The seeming spontaneity of her paintings belies the underlying mastery of expression.”- extract from a wildlife calenda
