Marsha Shaw

Artist Statement:

My work focuses on childhood memories, gender construction and ideas related to the experiences of women. Through the process of printmaking I am able to concentrate on planning, cutting, and printing.  These activities allow me to understand relationships that I cannot grasp in any other way. My richly colored, multi layer images utilize a variety of source material derived from the domestic experience. Wallpaper patterns, insects, human anatomy, text from children’s books, and stitching combine to create a palimpsest in which some images are obscured, while others remain intact. Old vinyl albums are the matrix for some of my prints reflecting my interest in using recycled materials and allow for the exploration of alternative printing techniques.   The resulting “circle” print refers to ideas such as unity, wholeness, infinity, and female power. The narrative of this project focuses on the coming together and falling apart of family relationships.

Marsha Shaw was born in Los Angeles and currently works and lives in San Francisco California where she maintains an active art and teaching practice.  She received an MFA in Printmaking from California College of the Arts in San Francisco and a B.A. and M.A. in Painting from California State University Northridge. Shaw is currently an adjunct faculty member at De Anza College in Cupertino where she teaches drawing and design. She is the manager of Mission Grafica, a print studio at Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, where she also teaches screen-printing workshops. She has lectured and taught courses in bookmaking and printmaking at California College of the Arts, San Francisco Center for the Book, Richmond Art Center, Museum of Children Art and Mendocino Art Colony.  Shaw’s work is in several collections and has been exhibited both nationally and internationally.