About Jon Marro
About me
I was born and raised in Vermont surrounded by mountains, lakes, rivers, fresh air and the constant revolve of the four seasons. The Earth was my school, a living library and real-life diorama of breathable, splashable, discoverable wonder. I learned to channel my curiosity into creativity by literally drawing from Nature itself. From the time I could hold a crayon I was drawing. I would spend endless hours daily, just simply coloring – rendering, blending, shading and pushing the boundaries of the spectrum through pixel and pigment.
I was born and raised in Vermont surrounded by mountains, lakes, rivers, fresh air and the constant revolve of the four seasons. The Earth was my school, a living library and real-life diorama of breathable, splashable, discoverable wonder. I learned to channel my curiosity into creativity by literally drawing from Nature itself. From the time I could hold a crayon I was drawing. I would spend endless hours daily, just simply coloring – rendering, blending, shading and pushing the boundaries of the spectrum through pixel and pigment.
Making art was my meditation practice long before I knew about or practiced actual meditation. I attended and graduated from Maryland Institute College Of Art in Baltimore in 2000 with a Bachelor Arts in Illustration and in 2001 with a Masters in Digital Art & Imagery. One week after entering “the market” as a newly minted Professional Artist, the tragedy of September 11th happened. Watching the towers plummet and plume live on television, I had what I can only describe as a “spiritual epiphany.”
I made an inward vow to have my life and art be in direct opposition to whatever compulsion could cause such violence. And so, it is through art that I aspire to offer a visual vigil. A sanctuary for the eyes. A centering, sense-making happy place. A communion between the heart and mind, body and spirit where people can experience Living Creativity.
My art is an offering, so please wear it, share it, post it, gift it, give it – and in doing so, join me in “making the world beautifuler.” I invite you to stop in frequently here, where worlds collide at a virtual crossroads of Art & Spirit at jonmarro.com
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Artist
I am an Artist. I LOVE to paint, draw, design, color, create, but my Absolute favorite medium is Spirit. “Love,” “God,” “The Universe” whatever you choose to call it – that is my Muse, North Star and Constant Companion. The heart within our hearts, the life that grants life to Life. THAT. I am a fan of and in service to THAT.
I am an Artist. I LOVE to paint, draw, design, color, create, but my Absolute favorite medium is Spirit. “Love,” “God,” “The Universe” whatever you choose to call it – that is my Muse, North Star and Constant Companion. The heart within our hearts, the life that grants life to Life. THAT. I am a fan of and in service to THAT.
As an artist I am inspired by the sacred, the mystical and anything that is mind-blowing, eye-opening and heart-expanding. Whether it’s poetry, Sistine Chapels, operas, symphonies, acts of kindness and courage, wide open spaces or smiles on faces – I am endlessly inspired by the (Human) Spirit and its willingness to carry the bright light of hope through the most doubtful of times.
One of my favorite things about being an artist is to have an idea or vision come to me (from wherever ideas and visions come), to be able to see it internally and then through varying degrees of tinker and toil bring it to life in this world. There’s no greater feeling or reward. Marked by an intrepid sense of color, whimsical wit and meticulous attention to detail, my work fluctuates between what I have come to call optimistic iconography, spiritual folk art and renaissance realism. No matter the style, my art aims to serve as safe passage from the mundane to the mystical – a smile-inducing bridge that leads from one shore of awareness to another.
Do you have a commission, some blank wall in an office, home or studio that has been just asking to be filled with beauty and art? I can help! That’s what I do best.
Creative Director & Collaborator
I am and always will be a visual artist, but looking back I have to say: I definitely got my start in the music industry. Being a lover of live music and avid concert-goer led me to designing posters, album covers, tour collateral, stage design, concert video and merchandise for such mainstream acts as Jason Mraz, Dave Matthews, Madonna, Maroon 5, Counting Crows, Michael Franti, Brett Dennen and most of the other singer songwriters on your Spotify playlist.
I am and always will be a visual artist, but looking back I have to say: I definitely got my start in the music industry. Being a lover of live music and avid concert-goer led me to designing posters, album covers, tour collateral, stage design, concert video and merchandise for such mainstream acts as Jason Mraz, Dave Matthews, Madonna, Maroon 5, Counting Crows, Michael Franti, Brett Dennen and most of the other singer songwriters on your Spotify playlist.
My passion for mindfulness, health and wellbeing let me to designing and collaborating with such conscious companies as Tom’s Shoes, Whole Foods, Manduka Yoga, Organic India, Café Gratitude, PACT Wear and even being honored with presenting a commissioned portrait to His Holiness The Dalai Lama for his 80th birthday.
Always up for a creative challenge, I also stepped into the ring with some of the heavy weights of the corporate world bringing my artistic touch and unique design sense to Credit Suisse, MTV, CBS, The San Diego Zoo, Atlantic Records, Columbia Records, Taylor Guitars, Sony Music, Fox Searchlight Pictures and Harper Collins Publishing.
If you or your enterprise needs an infusion of color, imagination or someone to give visual voice to a project with heart: please, reach out. From branding, design, marketing and direction – I am a one-stop shop with a team of the best and brightest behind me. Let’s bring ideas to life.
