Emerging Light

Emerging Light

by Marian Steen

Location: Pre-Security, Terminal 1, Lower Level

Quilt Series/ReBirth V, 2024, mixed media

Featured here are works from St. Louis artist Marian Steen’s Passage Series and Quilt Series. These abstract paintings are dominated by watercolor and inspired by nature, with collage incorporated into them. She uses handmade paper, found objects, and scraps of memorabilia that have personal significance — such as buttons, pieces of clothing, sticks, and textured material — to add dimension and meaning to the flat surface on which she is painting.

In her work, Steen acknowledges the existence of negative aspects of life, such as struggle or pain. However, ultimately she wants her paintings to be hopeful and send forth light, drawing viewers into the work to find a moment of respite as they enjoy the interplay of color, line, and texture.

Though abstract in their design motifs, the pieces convey a vaguely biological and cellular feeling, suggesting microscopic landscapes or cross-sections of living organisms. This organic quality connects to the common embedded motifs found across Levang’s encaustic paintings, linking her multidisciplinary bodies of work.

The meticulous, labor-intensive process of creating these intricate weavings mirrors the patterns and cycles observed in nature. Through the manipulation of fibers, Levang translates the complexities of the natural world into visually captivating, texture-rich pieces that provoke a sense of wonder about the underlying structures of life.