Mr Marbles art and illustrations depict a kaleidoscope of colours, textures, patterns and shapes. From book covers, to prints, to magazine graphics, his work is as mesmerizing as it is ingenious. Familiar faces of politicians and musicians have been completely reinvented through Mr Marbles use of the colour wheel, utilizing distinctive contrasts within his pieces and oftentimes overlaying written word samples on photographs. A beautiful representation of this can be seen in his Black History Month Poster; its earthy colour palette with its olive and grey tones, completely bought to life through the striking yellow news headlines and photographs in the woman’s headwrap. I found this intriguing as it bought my attention straight to the message of an almost - urgency, that is portrayed within the collage. Speaking to the artist about his personal resonations between colour and topic, I discovered that he occasionally flips the stereotypical palette that one would assume for the theme of a piece. For example, ‘if there is a piece that is around the subject of danger, I would possibly use a softer palette as it wouldn't be an obvious choice’. This method creates an interesting, unconventional sense within his work that causes the mind to further explore the underlying meanings and morals behind the pieces. When in conversation with Mr Marbles, he mentioned that his personal artwork is inspired through his interest in music, literature and socio-politics. This enthusiasm creates art that conveys messages of the artists thoughts, feelings and beliefs towards the themes of his work. Mr Marbles believes that ‘every artist has a duty to get a message across, the message doesn't necessarily have to be a deep or meaningful one, but you should always be aiming to get a reaction from the people who view your art. Similarly, the meaning doesn't really need to be obvious, and it's always good to make people have a little think’. This is made incredibly simple through the collage style by leaving his work open to interpretation. With this in mind, there is a certain level of simplicity in his art that makes it so effective and appealing to the eye, especially through the perspectives and behaviour of his shape work. There is an air of cubism and geometry to some pieces whereas others have more of an organic and abstract undertone. This mesh of visual elements makes his style bold and unique, giving the concept of Mr Marbles art a raw, thought-provoking stance. Looking at two of his Rattle Magazine pieces, Ginsberg and Two Dead Presidents, there is a noticeably similar colour scheme of teal, black and white, however, Ginsberg employs clean-cut, precise trimmings giving the work a refined, polished flair and the other, a more asymmetrical and disjointed appearance. The inconsistency of form, texture, tone, composition and colour within his portfolio builds an image of an experimental, individualistic creative who can adopt a number of artistic styles and genres and transform them into remarkable, stimulating pieces of artwork.
My final question to Mr Marbles was ‘What one piece of work are you most proud of, and why?’. I pondered over whether an artist could have a prized piece, or if every artwork produced was created in an effort to exceed the quality of the last. With so many messages and stories and voices being animated through this artists work, it begged the question as to whether it was possible for him to give only one the title of superiority. My thoughts on the matter were soon confirmed through his simple, assured response.
‘I don’t think I’ve done it yet’.
You can find more of Mr Marbles artwork at this link HERE.
This article was written by the talented Taryn Kaur. For writer inquiries you can contact her at tarynpedler@gmail.com