For me, art has always been both transformative and transcendent. Through it I have explored aspects of relationship and universal questions about meaning, purpose, and life itself. I make art to better understand the world around me and myself.
Over the years my work has evolved—often in ways surprising even to me! It is more complex technically and conceptually, and much more personal. My earlier work involved airbrush, with its even, detached surface, while my current work is rich with diverse materials, lush finishes, textures, and pattern.
For years I’ve collected and accumulated “stuff”: found and discarded objects that simply look intriguing to me. Either for their physical attributes or meaning, I’ve been incorporating these into my artwork—building upon the associations they carry and their unexpected juxtaposition with more refined and more traditional art materials.
My most recent work incorporates these found objects with organic materials I’ve acquired. I see the vestiges of life they hold—reminders of the ephemeral nature of life, a theme that currently engages me.
When encountering my work, viewers are enticed by the physical—sparkle of glass, beautiful color, unusual materials, and sound craftsmanship. Then hopefully they begin to discover deeper meanings—the metaphors, references and queries layered in text and images. Much as my impulse in artmaking is to probe more deeply beneath the surface to gain understanding, I task the viewer to work a little harder to figure things out.
Over the years my work has evolved—often in ways surprising even to me! It is more complex technically and conceptually, and much more personal. My earlier work involved airbrush, with its even, detached surface, while my current work is rich with diverse materials, lush finishes, textures, and pattern.
For years I’ve collected and accumulated “stuff”: found and discarded objects that simply look intriguing to me. Either for their physical attributes or meaning, I’ve been incorporating these into my artwork—building upon the associations they carry and their unexpected juxtaposition with more refined and more traditional art materials.
My most recent work incorporates these found objects with organic materials I’ve acquired. I see the vestiges of life they hold—reminders of the ephemeral nature of life, a theme that currently engages me.
When encountering my work, viewers are enticed by the physical—sparkle of glass, beautiful color, unusual materials, and sound craftsmanship. Then hopefully they begin to discover deeper meanings—the metaphors, references and queries layered in text and images. Much as my impulse in artmaking is to probe more deeply beneath the surface to gain understanding, I task the viewer to work a little harder to figure things out.
Born in Chicago, Marcia Joffe-Bouska earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art and Art education from Clarke University, Dubuque, IA and a Master of Arts Degree in Studio Art from Northern Illinois University, DeKalb. She lives and works in Council Bluffs, IA.
Her artwork has been exhibited in shows throughout the country and is in corporate, public, and private collections, such as the Omaha Children's Museum, Univ. of North Dakota, Grand Forks, University of Nebraska, Kearney, Schiff, Hardin & Waite, Chicago, Peed Corporation, Lincoln, NE, and EMC Insurance Companies, Des Moines, IA. Her glass mosaic, "Missouri River Transit", for the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial is located in Council Bluffs, IA. Tara Heights Elementary School in Papillion, NE is the site of both her glass relief mosaic and her cement and mosaic sculpture, and Phoenix House Women's Shelter in Council Bluffs displays her relief sculpture in its lobby and as its logo. Her stained glass window designs can be seen at Queen of Apostles and St. Mark's United Methodist Church, Mercy Hospital, St. Albert Schools, and Abstract Guaranty Co. in Council Bluffs. She has also taught art workshops and residencies to all ages, many through both the Iowa and Nebraska Arts Councils' Artists in Schools and Communities programs.
Her artwork has been exhibited in shows throughout the country and is in corporate, public, and private collections, such as the Omaha Children's Museum, Univ. of North Dakota, Grand Forks, University of Nebraska, Kearney, Schiff, Hardin & Waite, Chicago, Peed Corporation, Lincoln, NE, and EMC Insurance Companies, Des Moines, IA. Her glass mosaic, "Missouri River Transit", for the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial is located in Council Bluffs, IA. Tara Heights Elementary School in Papillion, NE is the site of both her glass relief mosaic and her cement and mosaic sculpture, and Phoenix House Women's Shelter in Council Bluffs displays her relief sculpture in its lobby and as its logo. Her stained glass window designs can be seen at Queen of Apostles and St. Mark's United Methodist Church, Mercy Hospital, St. Albert Schools, and Abstract Guaranty Co. in Council Bluffs. She has also taught art workshops and residencies to all ages, many through both the Iowa and Nebraska Arts Councils' Artists in Schools and Communities programs.