Anne Marchand / ORGANIC / Zenith Gallery

by Cecila Mencia

As a child, New Orlean’s born artist, Anne Marchand was enchanted by what lies between the earth and sky. In her new exhibit entitled ORGANIC at the Zenith Gallery in Washington, DC, Marchand’s work — a milky, from a distance, representation of what the earth looks like from space is on display. She was inspired by photos taken from the Hubble space telescope which opened her mind to the cosmos and the vastness of the desert, seascape and the luminosity of deep space. Many of her influences came from travels where she gained an understanding of how color influences demarcation between land and water.

Marchand’s collection emits energy. “What is the source?” Marchand offers. “It’s the mystery of the unknown and the cosmic relationship humans have with the universe,” she explains. Marchand calls this her flow series — Sensing where the paint should be she starts pouring without planning. Gravity plays a big part in the application of this liquid medium, almost simultaneously, to create synergy.

“These paintings are metaphors for a new way of understanding the fragility, isolation of our home planet in the vastness of space.”

Marchand currently shares the ORGANIC exhibit space with sculptor, Nancy Frankel. Established in 1978, the Zenith Gallery has deep roots in the nation’s capital representing artists and collectors all over the nation. Their art curation reflects an ever-changing selection of paintings, sculpture, neon, photographs, tapestries and mixed-media.