Marylu Dykstra

Marylu Dykstra has experienced the positive and negative in life and expresses that perspective by creating representations of the visible and invisible. She works with the “positive” by adding layers and textures. The “negative” is emphasized by filling the “empty space” with imagery. Every image has a meaning. Marylu has bipolar II with somatic polyneuropathy with complications from PTSD from domestic violence, sexual assaults and dissociative disorder. With minimal training, and primarily self-taught, Marylu’s mixed media and acrylic work is layered and complex, using her two-handed method with brush and palette knife to direct paint to create a rough, textured, atmospheric condition. She evolved her layered pointillism ink drawings to represent the fanciful play of unseen molecules in negative spaces. The intricacies of each painting can be appreciated as the viewer examines each individual dot applied with a crow quill pen and #104 nib to form shades, solids, and fanciful elements. Marylu is an experimental artist, and a member of the International Society of Experimental Artists, with three entries accepted (earning her ISEA designation) since joining in 2010. A former board member of the ISEA, and former co-owner of a gallery in Lowell, Michigan, Marylu is now exploring other art-related venues and options. Marylu will try anything to express herself, and displays a range in subjects and styles as a result of her experimentation. Marylu was a featured artist at the first annual DisArt Festival in Grand Rapids, Michigan.