MSJ’s abstract figurative paintings are defined by the conflicting movement of acrylic mediums within each work and surrounded by signature blood red edges. Each painting features a static element and a fluid element. The former mirrors a cultural perfectionism that is ingrained in the female experience. The fluid, inaccurate element embodies a period of reflection, of being an audience to what is rather than what should be; a concession. The tension between the two is ultimately the viewer’s moment, the release.
Marieclaire St John (b.1987 Milan, Italy) lives and works in New York City, primarily in acrylic paint on canvas, focusing on the female form as her central subject with an overarching theme of control. Marieclaire graduated from the University of Southern California in 2009 with a B.A. in Communication and Fine Art and began her career in art and fashion in Los Angeles. Marieclaire moved to New York to attend graduate school at Parsons School of Design, worked as a designer at Ralph Lauren and Marchesa and founded her acclaimed label, DRESSHIRT, as an homage to her painter’s uniform, a man’s shirt. Marieclaire was named a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree in 2017 in the Art & Design category.