Marianne Nowottny Statement

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Artist Statement — Marianne Nowottny

My work exists at the intersection of ornament, symbolism, and spirit. Through abstraction and pattern, I aim to give form to what is felt but unseen—a visual devotion to tradition, memory, and the divine. Using a range of media—oils, acrylics, and mixed materials—I work across surfaces as varied as paper, wood, and large-scale canvas. Each piece becomes a kind of ritual, a layered act of reverence.

My early work was rooted in figuration, deeply influenced by German Expressionism and the raw emotional gravity of Francis Bacon. That period taught me to trust the power of gesture and emotion. But in recent years, I have turned my gaze to the enduring power of pattern—its universality, its rhythm, its ability to hold meaning across cultures and generations. Ornament, for me, is not decorative but devotional. I see echoes of the divine in Islamic geometric patterns, in Byzantine mosaics, in quilt-making traditions—each design a cipher, a code, a way to communicate reverence and awe.

These works are not just paintings; they are prayers. They are poems stitched in pigment and rhythm, each one giving thanks for the richness of human tradition. In pattern, I find presence. In abstraction, I find clarity. And in the act of painting, I find a way to speak across time.

—Marianne Nowottny

As a former Environmental Science Major, Marianne Nowottny was thrilled to do the soundtrack for this series in it's entirety. Narrated by Femi Taylor. Produced Directed by Uscha Pohl.