Artist Bio

Marisa Thoman is a fourth year Communication Design major and English minor at University of Cincinnati. You can view her design work on her website marisathoman.com or on her Instagram @thomandesign.

Interview with the Artist

1. What was your inspiration for this piece?

My two prints, "The Lighthouse" and "House in the Hills," were created in a printmaking course in fall 2021. My goal with those pieces was to capture the atmosphere of each scene with a variety of printmaking techniques. "Ocean of Tears" is a part of an illustration series I have been working on influenced by music (that piece was inspired by Caroline Polachek's song of the same name). The overall theme is "strength in vulnerability."

2. What is your creative process? (How do you go about creating?)

A lot of my art is heavily inspired by music. I'm a visual person, so I will often get ideas when listening to music, then I try to illustrate the images that come to mind. Symbolism within art is something else that is important to my process; there is intention behind every choice in my art pieces. I like the idea of someone taking the time to figure out the intent of certain details.

3. What are some influences on your artistic process?

I've had many art teachers influence my art over the years. I'm also a big fan of Taylor Swift and how she uses her art to tell personal stories that somehow everyone else can also relate to.

4. Is there anything more you’d like our readers/viewers to know about you or your work?

I've recently devoted more of my time to creating digital illustrations. I share them on my Instagram @thomandesign if you're interested in seeing more of my work. I'm hopefully going to start selling prints soon - so that will be the place to hear more about that!