By Ann Williams
Mela Marsh, an artist who has worked with shaped wood for over two decades, has seen her intricate creations find homes in venues such as the Hudson Valley MOCA in New York, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, the CHIBA Museum of Art in Japan, the Mark Chagall Museum in Belarus, and the Long Beach Museum of Art in California, among more than 200 others. Armed with two MFA degrees, including one from CGU in California, Mela’s artistic journey is as diverse and rich as the angles, curves, and lines that define her distinctive creations.
At the heart of Mela’s recent solo exhibit, “ARKS OF ANGLES: Where Have We Been, Where Are We Now and Where Are We Going?” at the Billis Williams Gallery in Los Angeles, lies a profound exploration of geometry, vibrational fields, and optic frequencies. The centerpiece of this exhibit, “YELLOW AND BLUE ARK OF ANGLES WITH LOST LIVES SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS, 2023,” a six-piece acrylic on wood masterpiece measuring 144x46x4 inches, is a testament to Mela’s unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of artistic expression.
In her own words, Mela delves into the foundational aspects of human perception, emphasizing the pre-linguistic recognition of shapes, colors, and forms that shape our visual understanding of the world. Her work, she asserts, acts as a bridge, reconnecting viewers with the forgotten dimensions of sensation and feeling that language often obscures.
Drawing inspiration from pioneers like Kazimir Malevich, Mela breathes life into her geometric abstractions, challenging conventional perspectives and inviting viewers into a subjective realm where boundaries blur and everything is interconnected. The use of hand-cut, hand-sanded, and hand-painted PasColor redwood adds a tactile dimension to her creations, emphasizing a connection to nature and its spiritual meanings across cultures.
Dr. Jeanne Willette, an art historian, aptly notes that Mela’s constructions are “totally metaphorical and poetic,” underscoring the artist’s intent to transcend the literal and engage with the profound. The Arks of Angles, with their irregular shapes and angles, become vessels of meaning, each inviting the viewer to experience a reality where boundaries are illusory, and everything seamlessly connects.
As Mela delves into the concept of Arks, a metaphor emerges — a metaphor not just for shapes but for the impending destruction that looms in a dystopian world. Yet, within this metaphor lies a message of hope, a call for individuals to change their mindset and align with the higher frequencies of love-informed actions. In a world where chaos and corruption threaten, Mela’s Arks become beacons of positivity, urging us to strive for the best versions of ourselves.
The intricate internal structures within each Ark serve as a visual metaphor for the synergy between parts and whole. Mela challenges the mathematical axiom and suggests that the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts when experienced synergistically in the viewer’s mind. This approach generates new ideas and meanings, reflecting the interconnectedness of diverse perspectives in shaping our world.
In Mela’s universe, gender differences are not divisive but complementary. Masculine and feminine elements coalesce within the hard edges, angles, and colors, evoking a range of experiential emotions. The Arks become visual representations of the richness found in the interplay of these gendered elements.
Ultimately, Mela’s work transcends the tangible and ventures into the realm of the ineffable, the magical, and the mysterious. Her purpose, deeply rooted in the Imaginal, propels her forward, creating magnetic fields that attract the essential and the miraculous.
