Today we’d like to introduce you to Marcy McChesney
Hi Marcy, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’m Marcy McChesney, a San Antonio based multimedia artist. I have been an artist since the day I came into the world. I grew up in a household that encouraged art and wonder. Music was always playing, TV was frowned upon, art projects and respect for the written word were impressed upon me for as far back as I can remember. My parents were artistic free thinkers.
Naturally I pursued art, fashion and furniture design and creative writing as a student. Eventually I settled on getting my degree in Fine Arts with a focus on painting, minoring in Art History.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s been a long & crooked path, with breaks and set backs in between successes. As a young woman I felt the pressure to put family, a safe job with a steady income and domestic obligations ahead of my art career. It was a pattern of one step forward two steps back.
It took the death of my mother two years ago to set me straight and put my art career first. I was her caregiver throughout her battle with cancer and I saw firsthand how fleeting life really is.
The last words my mother said to my husband were “make sure she doesn’t give up on her art”. I’ve been trying to honor her memory through my artistic endeavors ever since.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My work as an artist seeks to ride the line between real and fictional environments, as
perceived by each individual’s unique life experience.
Lately my focus has been collage. I view collage as the most important art genre of the 21st century. We are saturated with visual information on a daily basis and as a collage artist, I take this information and examine, rearrange, and put it back together again, rebuilding artwork that tells a new story.
I was chosen to show at a wonderful gallery in Los Angeles called La Luz de Jesus, a dream I’ve had since I first went there decades ago. I was also chosen to participate in a show in Helsinki, Finland and will be exhibiting in Seattle, Washington in May.
I was the 2024 Individual Artist Grant Recipient for The City of San Antonio and completed an artist residency at the Kolaj Institute in New Orleans in January.
Together with fellow artist, Vikky Jones, I’m curating an exhibition of a dynamic group of local collage artists celebrating World Collage Day in May.
It’s a very exciting time for me and I plan to keep creating and sharing my art with others.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was a thoughtful artistic kid with a vivid imagination, always working on a project, whether setting up a puppet show, writing a play, designing sets, painting portraits or writing & illustrating books.
My parents loved telling the story of having my hearing checked because I would get so immersed in my work that I wouldn’t respond to their calls.
Contact Info:
- Website: marcymcchesney.com
- Instagram: @marcyemcchesney
- Facebook: Marcy McChesney
