Artists

Mariah Ferrari

Mariah Ferrari’s paintings explore touch and its relation to color, surface, and physical presence. Touch is the only sensation given to the figure, as it exists as a complete tangle of arms and legs. Unreal color, light, and water bring the figure’s ground to life, creating an environment enveloped in sensory information. Light and color create a layer of content in visual touch, as colors appear soft or hard, smooth or rough, immediate or still. Unreal color challenges the viewers preconceived associations with this color, transforming it into something tangible, physical, and admirable. Upon the surface of color are water drops, saturating the figure and ground. The physicality of water creates a haptic response, bringing the viewers’ attention to their own body and responses to being wet. Water also provides opportune moments for painting, such as highlight, shadow, and brush variety. Centering the viewer’s focus on touch and its concealed qualities brings attention to the sensory event of being alive.