“I didn’t choose art; it chose me. It’s what I am, what I am meant to do.” – Artist Marnie Grundman
Bold, talented, and inspired with a passion for culture and fashion, Marnie’s work has been greatly impacted by her passions and experiences. Fun, flirty, and whimsical, romantic, glamorous, and sophisticated, the ‘Love Marnie‘ line consists of luxury jewelry that reflects Marnie’s modern yet playful style. Deconstructed metal frames are merged with funky chains and the sparkle crystals and glitter for a chic look with a rockstar edge.
Marnie’s jewelry reflects her passion for love, art, and rock ‘n’ roll. Hearts within hearts and words like believe, dream, love, hope, and peace evoke the positive messages that inspire the very design and creation of the Love Marnie line. Delightfully delicate with a rock star edge, Love Marnie is exquisitely unique. The versatility of each hand-crafted work of art allows the fashionista inside each and every one of us to be revealed. It is more than just an accessory; it is a gift, whether to a loved one or to yourself, it is a chance to let your own personal style shine through the heartfelt creations of designer Marnie Grundman.
Marnie Grundman’s journey as an artist began in the vibrant, colorful kitchen of her idol, artist Carole Sampson. From canvases to walls to cereal boxes, everything in Carole’s studio was painted. Unable to have children of her own, Carole fostered Marnie’s artistic spirit, setting her up with her own paints, cardboard, whatever was handy, as well as bringing her along to art shows and letting her help out in the booth. There were also hours upon hours of simply watching the magic unfold in Carole’s kitchen studio.
Carole’s influence is still with Marnie today, the fond memories being her greatest inspiration as she creates award winning works of art and jewelry in her own kitchen studio. Marnie’s work is also greatly impacted by her passions and experiences. A Montreal native, Marnie also grew up in Manhattan and Miami, as well as attended boarding school at Cheshire Academy in Connecticut. The rich and varied cultures in each of these areas helped shape the artist and person that Marnie is today, especially her love for travel, art, culture and adventure. These attributes are evident in her art, particularly through the bold, adventurous experimentation and variety in her designs as well as in the mediums she uses.
Marnie first began making the jewelry from scraps she had saved from furniture and other large art pieces she had made using glitter. She eventually started to cut out those pieces and began making necklaces out of them using grommets, big hearts, and chains. On a holiday trip to Paris, she discovered that the hearts had broken in half. The extreme cold in the cargo area of the plane caused the material to become brittle; in her usual spirit of reusing materials, Marnie put the broken hearts on the shelf, knowing that at some point she would find a way to use them.
A few months later, Marnie mended the broken hearts, the new metals and materials making them stronger than ever. From Marnie’s optimism, versatility, and fortitude, coupled with her inspired talent for merging the contemporary with the unique, the Mended Heart was born, showing that just like in life, “hearts are not forever broken; they can be mended, and end up even stronger than before.”
They are also apparent in other areas of her life, specifically other work she has done, though not as a creator, was still strongly tethered to the world of art in some form or another. From her positions as the Museum Curator at the Osceola Center for the Arts, director at Wyland Galleries and the business development director at Transcontinental Talent, to her role in merchandise development and event planning at Give Kids the World, Marnie’s work gave her the opportunity to experience the art world from a variety of standpoints, further widening her already a unique perspective. Marnie also honed the entrepreneurial skills that have garnered her such success with the ‘Love Marnie’ jewelery line through such business as Art Adventures, an art and cooking school, Terrific Tummies, belly casting for pregnant women, and Ultra Mod, a modeling and talent management agency whose resume included booking work for Pepsi.
In addition to these positions in the art industry, Marnie has over fifteen years experience as an artist, designer, and teacher, besides the time spent creating in her youth. In some form or another, art has always been an integral part of Marnie’s life and focus. Marnie loved creating unique Halloween, dance, and theatre costumes for her friends, neighbours and family members as well as for professional theatre, baton and dance groups. Marnie used to sketch buildings and floor plans, decorate the insides of the rooms, with dreams of one day becoming an architect.
“As a small child I was always experimenting. Making jewelry, sketching, sewing, painting, clay was my favorite. Even then it always came back to touch. I see, feel, through my fingertips, my hands… I didn’t choose art; it chose me. It’s what I am, what I am meant to do.” – says Artist Marnie Grundman
Marnie’s formal progression as an artist began with drawing courses, though it was not until later sculpting courses that she found her niche, rooted back in the very predilections she favored as a child. Not surprisingly Marnie’s penchant for experimentation and working with her hands focused her work most heavily on sculpture, mosaic and hand-painted furniture, three dimensional folk art paintings, mosaic wall hangings, ‘Green Art‘ using old phone books and newspapers, batik, and working with metals, such as those used in her jewelry.
Marnie’s art is created by touch, by feeling, by emotion. Not all of her work starts out positive; however the creation process has always held a healing quality for Marnie, with positive end results. An optimist, Marnie’s positive outlook is reflected in her art. “There is beauty in every situation. It’s all about love, passion, fun, strength, healing, the silver lining. My biggest inspirations come from LOVE and the fortitude of the human spirit.” Marnie’s work is also impacted by music, as well as language, current events, reality shows, and of course her own life experiences, primarily her early interactions with Carole Sampson, the artist and friend she has admired throughout her life.
Photography by Marc Lajeunesse
© All right reserved Marc L. Photography
Marnie Grundman’s latest venture is called ‘In Living Sculpture’, which aims at creating art awareness through social events. Marnie captures your event in a relief or free standing sculpture while your celebration takes place. Your guests will be captivated as a piece of art unfolds before their eyes. You will have a unique, custom sculpture capturing the essence of your party to treasure forever. The live sculpting performance does not only focus at creating a fantastic and captivating form of entertainment, but also aims at supporting social causes worldwide through CaptiveArt’s ‘Art with HEART’, which is a special donation program to support non-profit organizations. For further details, visit In Living Sculpture or email at booking@inlivingsculpture.com
Photography by Marc Lajeunesse
© All right reserved Marc L. Photography
Content by Jade Alexandra Hernandez
If you think Marnie Grundman’s journey into the world of art & design is inspiring, take a moment to visit and like her Facebook pages: Love Marnie and In Living Sculpture