Richard and Johanna Marquis
Recent Works: New and Used

Before walking into the Dick and Johanna Marquis exhibition, Recent Works: New and Used, be prepared to be transported in time to a world filled with their eclectic inventions, ephemeral collections, and curious antiques. This exhibition features individual works by both artists and highlights the profound creative influence they have had on one another.
This exhibition coincides with an exhibition at the Museum Of Glass in Tacoma titled “Keepers”, a survey of Richard Marquis work and career from the 1960s to the present. A monographed catalog will be published documenting the exhibition.
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About
Richard Marquis - view profile
Dick Marquis, is a pioneer of the American Studio Glass movement known for creating whimsical and irreverent glass and mixed media sculptures. In the late 1960’s Dick traveled to Murano, Italy on a Fulbright Scholarship to work at the Venini Factory. It was there where he saw murinni and other long-held Venetian glass blowing techniques being used. Since that time he has used these historical techniques to expand his sculptural vocabulary, building upon classical references to create the humorous, colorful and sophisticated work for which he has become widely recognized for.
He lives on Whidbey Island where he and his wife maintain a beautiful home, garden and studios. There, they create their unique bodies of work, influenced by the solitude of island-life, their collections of unique historical ephemera, their creative community, and the animal companions that live with them.
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Johanna Marquis
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Born and schooled in Wisconsin, Johanna Nitzke Marquis turned in her barn boots for hiking boots. She headed to Pacific beaches and forest trails to meet her muse. Her propensity towards the political sciences and art making was cultivated at The Evergreen State College. She became the first director of public art in Washington State and later a Seattle gallerist. Her political, personal and professional epiphanies are retold through her constructed paintings. She lives on a dead-end road on an island in the Salish Sea where she remains sustained by her gardens, art studio and Labradors.
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou