ABOUT S. MANYA STOUMEN-TOLINO
S. Manya Stoumen-Tolino is known for her expressive, gestural paintings that reflect her fascination with organic life and its fleeting, ever-changing presence, and its power to evidence the eternal. For Manya, the act of painting parallels her desire to express and underscore life’s constantly evolving, cyclical nature and its inherent conflicts. Existing somewhere between representational and non-representational abstraction, her work transcends the confines of any particular movement or time period.
Born just outside of Philadelphia, Manya’s love of art led her to undergraduate studies at the University of the Arts (Philadelphia College of Art) and graduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania in Painting, where she earned a BFA and MFA, respectively. She grew up in a loving, chaotic household. Her father prized the natural world, while an ever-present focus on fantasy and drama was provided by her mother, whose early career as an opera singer was Manya’s earliest example of what it means to be an artist.
Early in her career, Manya spent several extended periods of time working independently in Italy. The time spent studying the artwork around her solidified her love of the figure, light, and transcendent narratives. Following her love of movement, she worked as a fitness professional and coach while raising children and maintaining her daily studio practice, which she credits with informing her work in ways that continue to be unearthed.
Manya’s primary studio is currently in Maryland, though she occasionally retreats to her second home in New Mexico. She is a member of TAG/The Artists Gallery in Frederick, MD, where she regularly participates in exhibitions and helps run the gallery. Her series “In Motion” is currently featured by 33 Contemporary Gallery in Miami, and her work has been included in exhibitions at regional and national galleries and art centers.
Your Right | Mixed Media on Paper | 15” x 11”
ARTIST STATEMENT
My work is characterized by movement, energy, and unfolding events, creating deeply gestural, intuitive, and visceral places. Even my quiet paintings simmer beneath their surfaces. Amidst this chaotic activity, an underlying order emerges, rooted in the rich humus of organic life and its deep complexities. I aim to convey the awe I feel in experiencing life as a portal out of the ordinary. Primitive shapes shift under the eye, revealing and obscuring beings, expressing the presences I sense in nature.
All life shares the same genetic code and evolutionary history, connecting me to all that came before and pulsing within the present. This connection is reflected in my art, which journeys through dreams and rage, hope and transcendence. The idea that life is in a constant state of flux, that it transforms and is subject to forces known and unkown, frequently appears in my work.
Recently, my use of graphic elements and human interpretations of natural forms has highlighted a sense of breakdown as humans distance themselves from sustaining environments. We create narratives to contextualize our impact on the earth and its inhabitants, yet in a world increasingly deviating from nature, it’s essential to pay attention to the life within and around us.
My art invites viewers to experience the movement and rhythms of life, recognizing its potential and significance. I hope my work plants seeds in viewers’ imaginations, encouraging a deeper connection to the natural world and the intricate web of life we all share.
These are stories that end in question marks, inviting reflection and evoking a sense of suspense, hope or anticipation.
CREATIVE STATEMENT
To capture the pulse of life’s transformative rhythms through dynamic, expressive artworks.
MFA: University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Fine Arts
BFA: Philadelphia College of Art (University of the Arts)
Jewel Birds | Egg Tempera/Acrylic on Wood Panel | 12” x 12” | 2021