[Here’s a Christmas present to local artist Marie Ulmer from one of her biggest fans–Roman B. Merry Christmas, Marie! — the Artblog editors]
“The universe is very large, and yet you find the smallest things like grains of sand and moonbeams round. It is so wonderful to know God put them there for us to find.” – Marie Ulmer
Philadelphia and Kensington’s 97-year-old artist, Marie Ulmer, was first introduced to the larger art community in a brief article published by the Artblog in 2008. It was soon thereafter that Marie had several exhibitions, including at the former Fishtown galleries, Bambi and Proximity, and a retrospective at University of the arts. UArts alumni Candace (Candy) Karch (Bambi) and Janel Rivera Frey (Proximity) were notable players in promoting Marie’s work, too.
Marie and my mother, 98-year-old Mary Blazic, received citations for a lifetime dedication to art drawn up by Philadelphia City Council President Darrell Clarke and Pennsylvania State Representative Mike O’Brien, who made the presentation at the former Goldfish Gallery. Read more about the “First Ladies of Fishtown and Kensington” here.
Marie was in a few other group exhibitions in Center City, but remained, as in mostly all but one of her exhibitions, very conservative as to what was presented. These exhibitions did not show the broader range of expression of her work.
I’m very happy that my sometimes annoying persistence succeeded in having her body of work clearly photographed and labeled to establish an indisputable record.
Marie’s longtime friend, artist and photographer Robert Koenig, volunteered to take on such a task. It is because of Bob’s huge contribution of time and effort that we can now showcase some of Marie’s unseen art. Thank you, Bob.
More of Marie Ulmer’s unseen art can be found here.
Roman Blazic is the second of three generations in his family to participate in the arts, and he’s having more fun than most kids his age.
