Mari Jae

Artist

Two abstract, cartoonish characters with exaggerated features, sitting on pink chairs with red cushions, on opposite sides of a small round table. The character on the left is green with a layered hat, and the one on the right is blue with spiky hair, both with big eyes and expressive faces, set against a background divided into lime green and black.

Dinner (Party) Oil Paint on Canvas 12 × 16

Profound, but not confusing; invoking emotion but not underestimating the Viewer’s intelligence; exploring all possibilities but never straying too far from certainty (or creating new certainties). Using perceived frivolity to make us think about society, politics, relationships and life is my primary focus. I work with wax strings. I use them to create colorful, whimsical people and then they become the subjects of my paintings. The figures have a lot of dimension and really pop off of the canvas. They are fanciful on one hand and cutting on the other.  They are smile invoking and thought provoking.  They are gibberish and sharply communicative. I happened upon wax strings while playing with my children. They were playing and deeply engaged with making and stacking shapes all the while completely uninterested in what I was doing. So, I experimented. Then I painted. My goal with these is to delight and confuse and to make people stop and consider human expression in a new way!

-Mari Jae

Complete Statement

Portfolio

Select images from my portfolio

(Doing) Damage

(Doing) Damage

Look (Out)

Look (Out)

Dinner (Party)

Dinner (Party)

(not) Cloudy

(not) Cloudy

It's a Toss (up)

It's a Toss (up)

Mr. Pineapple

Mr. Pineapple

Artist Prints

Select images of my Artist Prints

Colorful string art of a person wearing glasses and a hat, with the word "TADA" spelled out below.

Colorful string art of a person wearing glasses and a hat, with the word "TADA" spelled out below.

Colorful wire sculpture of a stylized person with glasses, a hat, and the word "Eh" below.

Colorful wire sculpture of a stylized person with glasses, a hat, and the word "Eh" below.

Colorful illustration of a person with sunglasses, a hat, and a red stick, spelling out "FLY" with cut-out letters below.

Colorful illustration of a person with sunglasses, a hat, and a red stick, spelling out "FLY" with cut-out letters below.

A colorful drawing of SpongeBob SquarePants with a speech bubble containing the word 'ENGMA' written in green and brown.

A colorful drawing of SpongeBob SquarePants with a speech bubble containing the word 'ENGMA' written in green and brown.

A colorful, child's drawing of a person with glasses, wearing a red dress and yellow shirt, saying "Vomi" in a speech bubble.

A colorful, child's drawing of a person with glasses, wearing a red dress and yellow shirt, saying "Vomi" in a speech bubble.

A greeting card with a colorful string art of a person holding a ball and a collage-style word 'Sassy' with a letter 'S' and a knitting needle.

A greeting card with a colorful string art of a person holding a ball and a collage-style word 'Sassy' with a letter 'S' and a knitting needle.

Merch

Select images from my curated collection of Merch

Flower Power Athletic Shoes

Flower Power Athletic Shoes

Silence Athletic Shoes

Silence Athletic Shoes

Eh Athletic Shoes

Eh Athletic Shoes

Silence Slides

Silence Slides

Look (out) mug with color inside

Look (out) mug with color inside

Headscarves/bandanas

Headscarves/bandanas

Art Oasis logo with colorful geometric design inside the letter 'O' and other letters with geometric patterns.

A warm, joyous, and inspiring creative hub.

Keep in Touch
An art studio with sketches on the walls, a woman seated on a platform, and another woman painting on an easel. The room has hardwood floors, rugs, and various chairs and tables.
Close-up image of a person's face with curly hair and glasses, showing the upper part of the head and forehead.
Colorful lollipop art resembling a cartoon character with black hair, yellow and green eyes, red smile, and green leaves at the bottom.
Three people, a woman and two children, are jumping on a wooden deck outdoors near a lake, surrounded by trees, during daytime. The woman is in the center with curly hair, wearing a white outfit, with her arms raised above her head.