In advance of Artbeat Studio’s 24-Hour Art-a-thon February 6 to 7, CNC profiles the artists participating in this event that is raising funds for Artbeat Studio, an organization supporting artists with mental illness. Click here to read the other profiles.
Marcus Bauer
Marcus Bauer says he didn’t think he was different, he knew he was different.
“I was pretty much singled out, I wouldn’t even say I felt singled out. I just was and I knew I was,” says Bauer.
He says his thought process made things difficult in the social aspect. He says he even continues to struggle with it now.
Bauer’s mother suggested applying for residency at Artbeat Studio after Bauer spent a lot of time creating art in their basement. Bauer says he lacked the confidence to truly propel himself forward in his artistic endeavour.
“I lived a pretty sheltered life,” says Bauer. “And with Artbeat, it was just having that space to get yourself out there and in a direction that is helpful.”
Bauer says being able to show is another important element of Artbeat. At the end of each cycle in Artbeat’s residency program, the artists participate in a group exhibition, where the studio opens up and the public has the chance to view and purchase the pieces of work made over the past six months.
“I became a lot more confident and proud [after Artbeat]–less rigid.”
Bauer likes to experiment with different techniques and mediums. One interesting piece used the technique Pointillism, which is painting small dots of color in a pattern to form an image. Bauer’s muse for this piece was Albert Einstein for which he counted every single dot on the canvas.
“The first six digits of Pi were 314159,” says Bauer. “I can get pretty obsessive with pieces.”
Bauer also has a young daughter, who has an artistic streak much like her father. Bauer says he often creates pieces of art with her, which he says are the pieces he often likes the best.
“She takes the chalk pastels and I let her scribble whatever she wants–and as soon as I see an image, I start adding little parts to it too.”
Bauer cites his daughter as one of the main influences that help him stay happy when he’s going through a darker cycle.
“She keeps me going,” he says with the grin of a proud father.
Marcus Bauer is one of seven Artbeat Studio alumni participating in the 24-Hour Art-a-thon from Feb. 6-7, 2014 beginning at 5 p.m. The 24-Hour Art-a-thon is an event to raise money for Artbeat Studio’s endowment fund, which supports its core-programming. To support Marcus and Artbeat Studio, please visit The Winnipeg Foundation’s website to donate online.
