Marcus Glenn the Artist “GENISIS “ The creator of FlatLife Art
Contemporary Artist Marcus Glenn/ Internationally/artist
Marcus is one of the most exciting young artists to emerge in recent years. His work
deals with issues that continue to fascinate him, like the creative process of making art,
the solitary experience of the artist, the dialog between art and the viewer, and music
(mostly Jazz). Marcus will often pay homage to other artists by incorporating their work
into his imagery in his series, “A Day at the Gallery.” Many viewers enjoy stepping into
his realm of colorful and unique imagery, inspired by the rhythm and blues within his
compositions.
His works are often peppered with symbolism, most apparent in his colorful floorboards.
Marcus paints with “the palette of God,” something that kept him grounded when his
career began to spike. His floorboards jut at different angles – a spectrum of colors – and
provide a “foundation of love” for humankind. His figures are animated and mannerist in
approach, often stretching and twisting into impossible positions. Glenn says that he
elongates his figures, breathing life into their instruments as they become one through the
element of jazz.
Glenn’s works are heavily jazz-infused, he’s not actually a musician himself. When he
was growing up, his father was an avid jazz collector. Glenn remembers listening to the
records, capturing that moment in time. When he began painting from these memories, he
liberated the vision of the characters and instruments like the creativity within the jazz.
The way each character moves comes from a deep interest in anatomy and figure study.
The way a person walks, holds a glass, and moves in general defines a kind of beauty for
the artist that is universal and amazing.
As an artist, Marcus is known for his use of bright colors and his expressive use of paper
and fabric, creating a masterful textured collage effect. While he gets a good amount of
his supplies from local art stores, the fabrics he uses are often passed through his family,
while others have a much higher price point. He combines painting and sculpture in a
bas-relief effect, calling his style “Flat Life,” which he has developed for more than a
decade. Marcus is always trying to further hone this style, enhancing his technique and
taking his “Flat Life,” to the next level. Marcus likes to paint straight on to board, rather than canvas, tearing paper and fabrics to
build his collage. When creating his instruments and characters, he uses illustration
board, sketching them first before they’re cut out, painted, and added to the work. Once
it’s finished, he needs to live with it for two to three days, adjusting it later if necessary.
When he’s in his studio, Glenn goes into a near trance, forgetting the world around him.
He’ll work for 14 hours without eating or leaving, unaware until his wife calls him to
attention. For the artist, though, painting is incredibly liberating, removing all of his
stress. Without painting, Marcus says his life would be boring and unfulfilled.Also working as a freelance cartoonist, he became the first African American and the
youngest cartoonist in the Detroit News. His comic strip, “Double Trouble”, was
published daily in The Detroit News and ran for three years. The strip was based on his
twin daughters, 6 years old at the time, telling stories about the exciting and hilarious
moments he encountered as they grew up. His career as a cartoonist only enhanced his
painting, giving him the tools to tell his stories through other media.In 1998, Marcus was commissioned by DaimlerChrysler to paint a mural. Later that year,
he was commissioned by renowned restaurateur, Patrick Coleman, for a mural. And In
1999, he was featured in a group exhibition hosted by DaimlerChrysler. In August of 2005, Glenn’s work was featured in his first museum exhibition held at the
Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, Michigan. The
museum now hosts one of his paintings in their permanent collection. The artist spends
much of his time with Park West at Sea, sharing his artwork.
His latest venture was a career milestone! Marcus was chosen out of thousands of artists
to create the artwork for the 56th Annual GRAMMY Awards. The Recording Academy
had been following Glenn’s iconic flat life art for over a decade and just months before
the big awards program, Marcus received a phone call that would change his life. He was
commissioned to design the official artwork for the cover of the GRAMMY Awards
program book, telecast tickets and promotional poster. Marcus and his wife Yolanda were
flown to Los Angeles for the GRAMMY’s and soon found themselves among some of
their most revered music legends. The whirlwind experience inspired one of Marcus’
latest pieces entitled “The Nite the Stars Felt Closer”.
