Born at Myilly Point, Darwin the year before Cyclone Tracy blew in, Marnie Jay grew up savoring the laid back, very social and outdoor lifestyle of the Territory. Camping ventures in their old Toyota with family friends were often full of frivolity and she remembers them with fondness. Her folks had a bush block which was sold to buy a yacht which in turn provided years of bliss on Darwin harbor. These memories and Territory themes often feature in her artworks.
Always in to drawing, she was content to sit for hours and create. Her year 12 art teacher told her she MUST persue an artistic career. She went south to study illustration and design at The University of Western Sydney, Nepean. She received the award for Best Graduating Illustrator in 1995.
After uni she explored other avenues such as web design, exhibition and display, 3D animation and TV production. She found working in an office environment stifling and her now husband gave her a canvas and some acrylic paints as a gift. That was that.
She is now a full time artist and has been exhibiting since 2006. She has held shows at Framed, Museum & Art Gallery of the NT, Paul Johnstone Gallery, Darwin Visual Arts Association, Tactile Arts, The Entertainment Center and hosted her own Darwin Festival event at Burnett House, Myilly Point. Her work is in The Museum & Art Gallery Collections of the Northern Territory .
Marnie’s studio is called “Bird House” and is on The Darwin Art Trail where you can visit the 3rd Sun of each month from May til September. It sits on a rural “Land for Wildlife” property at the edge of a conservation corridor.
Her love of animals and nature is the driving force behind her work. She is said to translate what she sees, “stripping away the science of subject into quirky acrylic paintings that capture the essence and personality of animals."
As a child she made a pact with herself to always see the magic and wonder in the world and as an adult she aspires to reflect this in her work. The most regular comment she receives from people is that her art “makes me smile.”
Always in to drawing, she was content to sit for hours and create. Her year 12 art teacher told her she MUST persue an artistic career. She went south to study illustration and design at The University of Western Sydney, Nepean. She received the award for Best Graduating Illustrator in 1995.
After uni she explored other avenues such as web design, exhibition and display, 3D animation and TV production. She found working in an office environment stifling and her now husband gave her a canvas and some acrylic paints as a gift. That was that.
She is now a full time artist and has been exhibiting since 2006. She has held shows at Framed, Museum & Art Gallery of the NT, Paul Johnstone Gallery, Darwin Visual Arts Association, Tactile Arts, The Entertainment Center and hosted her own Darwin Festival event at Burnett House, Myilly Point. Her work is in The Museum & Art Gallery Collections of the Northern Territory .
Marnie’s studio is called “Bird House” and is on The Darwin Art Trail where you can visit the 3rd Sun of each month from May til September. It sits on a rural “Land for Wildlife” property at the edge of a conservation corridor.
Her love of animals and nature is the driving force behind her work. She is said to translate what she sees, “stripping away the science of subject into quirky acrylic paintings that capture the essence and personality of animals."
As a child she made a pact with herself to always see the magic and wonder in the world and as an adult she aspires to reflect this in her work. The most regular comment she receives from people is that her art “makes me smile.”
