Ever since I was young and was given a book about Turner I have been fascinated with landscapes. After graduating I focused on drawing and collage to get a full understanding of composition and the visual language I needed as an artist, while anticipating transitioning to oil painting. Every seven years I anticipated adding a new element to my art: color, new material, new subject matter. All of this within a landscape.

All my work, in some way or another, is about landscape and how we see ourselves through it and impose our values on it. It is the stage upon everything we do. By juxtaposing unrelated buildings and events each scene contains elements of the past, present and future layered in various stages of construction and deconstruction.

 

I have always studied history and how so much of it is subject to the meaning we assign to what has been left behind. I twist perspective, visually and historically, because that is what our perceptions do to history and reality. In my paintings of the United States, I am far more concerned with representing and questioning cultural and visual expectations than with illustrating a scene. In a sense, my paintings are anthropological. I often dwell on the values, activities, and events of ancient and contemporary cultures, “tracing” the traces they left behind. Our cities, roads, buildings, homes, the way we farm and extract resources from the earth; attempts to shape and create an ideal society via war and government are all records of how we leave our mark - our history - on the earth. By turning them upside down, or changing the relative sizes and ratios, they can be seen from a fresh new point of view.

 

I am especially intrigued by the events through time that tie seemingly unrelated people and events together in broad cycles. All my landscape paintings incorporate traditional art subjects: religion, history, myth, portrait, figures, and still life. The addition of figures creates an unsettling scale and an unspoken relationship between everything. I do not want to create an arbitrary surreal fantasy landscape. These are real places, grounded in what I see, where I live, how I perceive our history and world. I want people to recognize their world, these “maps” and be challenged by the images.

 

Mark England grew up in California and Minnesota before moving to Utah, where he earned an M.F.A. in painting. His love of landscapes and art was shaped by wandering among redwoods, exploring Midwestern farmlands, and viewing Utah's surreal formations, along with hours spent poring over Time Life art books. This passion led to numerous drawings, collages, and oil paintings, revealing his unique perspective on geography, society, history, and humanity.

 

In Alpine, Utah, Mark raised four creative children, designed and built homes, and started the successful Dolcetti Gelato shop at 9th and 9th in Salt Lake City, all while pursuing his painting career.

 

 

En Route presents a collection of collages, assemblages, and installation that weave together discovered materials and photographs of objects encountered along my path. This body of work reflects my exploration of space, time, and human connection, emphasizing the transitional nature of our lives.

 

At the core of each piece is the essence of human anticipation and our constant yearning for progress, capturing the intersection of shared journeys we all take. The visual use of parcel, cargo, and construction materials symbolize our effort to find value in the ordinary aspects of life that are in constant motion. This series delves into the delicate balance between patience and desire.

 

Marissa Albrecht is a mixed-media artist currently residing in Orem, Utah and working with collage and mobile photography. Marissa’s observations and discovery of new material have been keenly influenced by her travel studies to numerous cities. Finding and bringing to light fragments from the everyday are at the core of her practice. 

 

Born and raised in southern California, Marissa pursued her passion by earning a BFA in painting and drawing from Brigham Young University-Idaho and later completing her MFA in Studio Art from Brigham Young University. Her work has been exhibited across the country, including solo exhibitions at Bountiful Davis Art Center and Salt Lake Community College. Other recent exhibits include Springville Museum of Art, Writ & Vision, One Modern Art, Odd Duck Studio, JKR Gallery, Vayo Collage Gallery, Union Street Gallery, and The Gateway. 

 

In addition to her art practice, Marissa is a dedicated teacher and mentor, working as an adjunct instructor at BYU and UVU since 2020, where she teaches drawing, painting, and design courses. Marissa is passionate about sharing her love of art and encouraging everyone to create wherever and with whatever they have at hand.