Explore innovative mixed media techniques with Somerset West’s Mari Marincowitz

Local artist and educator Mari Marincowitz will host a mixed media art demonstration in Somerset West to offer residents an opportunity to engage with her experimental approach to colour, layering, and mark-making.

The demonstration will take place on Thursday, May 14, at 6pm at the Rotary Club Hall on Lourensford Road, Somerset West.

Ms Marincowitz, a visual arts and design educator, has an extensive background in fine art, illustration, information design and advertising, combined with more than 15 years of international teaching experience in India and China.

She holds a master’s degree in education from the University of Southern Queensland, as well as Fine Arts Honours degrees in Information Design and Illustration from the University of Pretoria and Stellenbosch University.

Alongside her teaching career, she maintains an active studio practice focused on non-representational painting, particularly the exploration of colour and mark-making.

Among the works connected to the demonstration is Bamboo Forest: Light in Suspension, a three-panel acrylic and watercolour pencil piece painted in 2023. Inspired by underwater plant life, the artwork explores shifting light, layered textures and submerged landscapes that echo the vertical forms of a bamboo forest.

“Layered mark-making and the interplay between transparent and opaque applications evoke both the fluidity of water and the density of growth. Translucent washes suggest movement and luminosity, while thicker, gestural marks bring structure and presence,” she said.

“The work invites a sensory experience of colour, light, and depth – an in-between world that feels both familiar and otherworldly.”

Another featured work, Colour Field: Held in Balance, painted in 2026, forms part of an ongoing experimental series in which colour itself becomes the central subject. Drawing inspiration from tones found in nature, the work explores atmosphere and emotional resonance through layered hues and abstract composition.

Ms Marincowitz said she likes to experiment with colours, textures and movement in her art to express ideas and feelings instead of painting clear pictures.

In addition to her studio work, Ms Marincowitz said she has served as a senior examiner and team leader for the International Baccalaureate Visual Arts Diploma programme for the past 11 years.

“My approach is not to instruct from above, but to guide from alongside, creating a thoughtful structure in which students feel supported to experiment, take risks, and reconnect with their own creative voice,” she said.

Members of the Western Cape Arts Society are required to pay R20 per person to attend, while non-members will pay R30.

For more information, you can send an email to wcartsoc@gmail.com.

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