DAVID J. MARVEL

David Marvel is a self-taught artist. His art is a remarkable manifestation of his own life experiences. Marvel grew up on the east coast. In his twenties, he migrated south to Miami to hone his skills as an artistic performer. At some point, Marvel lost his way and was forced to confront the difficult truths about his life. He disengaged from the day-to-day to reflect, refocus and reinvent himself. It was during this time that he picked up a brush and started to paint. He found painting to be a meditative escape - a quiet reprieve, reconnecting him to his creative spirit. Through his metamorphic transformation, Marvel perfected his own style of hyper-realism painting and we are all fortunate benefactors of his incredible gift.

Artist Statement:

Using the style of classical portraiture as a mode of interpersonal storytelling, Marvel's work explores the possibility for new and transcendent representations of the trans and gender non-conforming people in his life, Marvel muses.

"My hope is to expand the parameters of this project to a wider variety of individuals seeking to affirm themselves beyond the borders of both gender and social convention. My goal is to celebrate the individual's strength and raw beauty, and to capture their humanity as well as their spirit - going beyond how one presents themselves to the world at large, to something more powerfully intimate." 

Marvel honors his subjects with dramatic open space and strong composition - protecting them and, at the same time, enveloping the observer - creating a setting to experience the work in a uniquely personal way.