Marla G Kuhn (Day 3)

If you love colorful, expressive abstract paintings, please visit me at my sunlight-filled, airy studio on the East side of Tucson. Blue Horse Studio is located in a residential neighborhood, on three, tree-filled acres. This beautiful setting is an inspiration for my artistic expression, and a lovely place to visit. The studio will be filled—both inside and out—with my latest completed paintings (which are all available for purchase).

While you browse the art, I will be painting. You are welcome to observe, ask questions about my process, or just interact with the artist (me!). I will be working on one of my very large abstract paintings. If you are curious about how an expressive/intuitive artist creates on extra large (5–6 ft and above) canvases, stop by!

About the Process

My artistic process began around the age of 12, when I started painting horses in hard pastels. I was head-over-heels in love with horses, but lived in a non-horsey family in suburban Albuquerque, NM. Alas, I was not going to have my own horse. So, I collected photos of horses and taught myself to render pretty good representations of the horses in them. After high school I continued painting in a very representational style with dry pastels. I expanded to landscape painting in addition to horses. After moving to Tucson, now an owner of 3 of my own horses, I began experimenting with acrylics and oil paints. Still in a very realistic style. During the pandemic shutdown I released my spirit—and my arms—to begin painting larger, abstract expressionist paintings. And I was smitten! I have always been awed by the colors, and the beauty of luminous light, in the natural environment. Capturing the essence of what inspires this awe and my own emotional response is what drives my painting process. I am an intuitive painter. This means that I don't plan out a painting before beginning a piece (except when I am painting an expressionistic horse—which I still occasionally do). I begin by applying paint to a canvas in a spontaneous manner, choosing marks and paint colors that appeal. From there I continue to respond to the previous layer of paint based on how it all speaks to me. I continue to add, and remove, paint over several layers until the painting tells me it is complete. As mentioned above, this is an intuitive process. I must stay completely mindful and present with myself—my emotional state—in order to make these artistic choices. The result is emotionally expressive, one of a kind, colorful objects of art.