Artist Profile: Mavis Manganelly

Chasing the Beautiful

By Ellen Samsell Salas

Although friends and family say they knew she would be an artist someday, north Georgia painter Mavis Manganelly took a circuitous route before embracing her calling.

Born in Cuba, she lived in Russia as a child and again as an adult, then immigrated to the United States, living first in Arizona and later in Georgia. She earned a bachelors degree in physics from the University of Havana and a masters degree in economics from Carlton University in Canada before teaching both physics and computer science.

But I always knew I wanted to paint, Manganelly said. That was my plan to paint when I retired. I didnt think I would ever call myself an artist.

It was a chance meeting with a Cuban artist that encouraged her to make art her full-time pursuit. He told me, Dont wait. Just do it, she said. So, in 2006, she decided to  dedicate herself to painting.

Manganellys affinity for drawing and color began when she attended elementary school in Russia.

Russia had strong arts programs, she said. I vividly remember my art classes. They were the best place for me and the best gift for me was a box of colored pencils. I love color. When she was a teenager, she would sometimes pretend to take notes while actually sketching during class.

Completely self-taught, Manganelly has found her artistic voice through the experimentation that began with those childhood sketches. Through the internet, she visits museums and meets other artists. She sees herself as a young artist who is still finding her expression.

I learned to work with mediums, learned the basics of color, light, and shade online, she said. I challenged myself to explore different styles because I wanted to learn. I learned portraits, not because I want to be a portrait painter, but as part of my learning process.

Whether creating still life, landscapes, flowers, or figures, Manganelly said her goal is to create beauty. Done mostly in acrylic, but also in mixed media, her large abstract canvases draw the viewer in through bold color and varied texture, and contrasts of light and dark, black and white, line and shape.

I like the viewer to rest his eyes on one part of the canvas, not to be overwhelmed. Often, a large part of the canvas will be white; other times, I work in two main colors. Some of my works are minimalist. The parts of the canvas that have color are bright and bold, similar to (Jackson) Pollocks style.

Manganellys colors and dramatic contrasts draw the viewer from a distance while the textures and layers of the painting reveal themselves when viewed more closely.

Working quickly, Manganelly says she doesnt know where the painting will go when she starts. Frequently using a palette knife to apply color, she creates layers, changing the painting with each color she adds. Using acrylics allows her to modify and watch the painting evolve. Sometimes, the layers include stones, paper, mesh, varnish, or gesso whatever creates texture.

I might work on a painting for three days and set it aside. That doesnt mean that I am finished. I will keep looking at it. I find myself adding things and taking away things. So, I work on two or three paintings at the same time. I keep working until I am satisfied. I am always chasing something that I find beautiful, no matter what the subject.

You can enjoy Manganellys paintings at:

MavisGallery.com

Facebook.com/mavis.m.manganelly