Distinctly Montana Magazine

W W W. D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A . C O M 25 YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF MOST OFTEN AS A LANDSCAPE PAINTER. WHY DO YOU BELIEVE THAT PORTRAYAL OF NATURAL SETTINGS SO APPEALS TO YOU? Having grown up in Missoula and remembering long summer evenings fi shing the Blackfoot River with my father, I always enjoy being in nature. While living most of my adult life in the rapidly urbanizing Research Triangle region of North Carolina, I longed to return to the beauty of western Montana, if for only a brief summer vacation visiting my parents. In retirement my wife and I are fortu- nate to spend much of each year in the old family home I inherited near the University of Montana. YOUR LANDSCAPES DISPLAY A CERTAIN SUBLIMITY AND COMPOSITION WHICH IS REMINISCENT OF THE HUDSON RIVER SCHOOL LANDSCAPES OF THE 19TH CENTURY. DO YOU THINK THAT IS A MOVEMENT YOU IDENTIFY WITH IN YOU WORK? The landscape paintings of the Hudson River School are typically too formal and romanticized for my taste, and the colors tend toward being rather dark and subdued. I prefer the works of the early 20th century American impressionists, especially those identifi ed with Bucks County in Pennsylvania. They popularized a less formal style learned in France, using bold colors to por- tray the picturesque farms and small villages of the region. WHAT IS IT ABOUT ACRYLIC WHICH MAKES IT YOUR PREFERRED MEDIUM FOR YOUR ART? Only in recent decades have acrylics been widely adopted by painters as an alternative to oils, which have been used by painters for centuries. I work with heavy body acrylics to achieve durable results that are virtually indistinguish- able from oil paintings. Acrylic paints dry quickly (within minutes in Mon- tana's dry air) after being applied to canvas, which allows for over-painting or glazing without the lengthy wait required by slow-drying oil paints. This quality facilitates experimentation with composition and color while working on a painting. Marvin Soroos, award-winning painter, specializes in acrylic landscapes. Educated at Dartmouth College and Northwestern University, he is a retired pro- fessor of international relations and global environmental politics at North Carolina State University. He divides his time between Raleigh, NC, and his childhood home in Missoula. His paintings drawing upon Big Sky country, rural North Carolina, and travels around the world, have been widely shown in galleries. In 2014, they were displayed simultaneously in Bernice's Bakery (Missoula) and the Rosenzweig Gallery (Durham, NC). CONTACT INFO msoroos@mindspring.com, www.marvinsoroos.com The High Himalayas, Nepal

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