When architect and painter Leo Marmol was a scholar, he was a clumsy and shy boy. His sixth-grade trainer, Mr. Laurie, had him give shows to the category till he was extra comfy. His teacher not solely helped younger Leo acquire self-confidence, he additionally sparked his love for studying past the usual curriculum.
The Salk Institute, by Louis Kahn, made an enduring impression on Marmol. As he realized in regards to the architect in faculty, he was drawn to greater than his buildings. “Kahn particularly resonated deeply with me – not only for his buildings however for his philosophical musings on structure,” Marmol says. “Kahn’s thought of transferring from ‘silence to mild’ spoke to me in a profound means.”
Leo Marmol Photograph: Jesse Inexperienced
In 1989, Marmol and Ron Radziner based their eponymous apply, Marmol Radziner. The agency is famous for its holistic method to each component of design-build, from development to furnishings. However even with a full roster of tasks on faucet, Marmol nonetheless finds time to bask in different pursuits. He enjoys saltwater fly fishing, which permits him to attach with nature. He visits museums when he travels, the place he’ll usually discover a spark of surprising inspiration.
Marmol not solely admires wonderful artists, he’s one himself. He began portray as a means to assist handle the pressures he confronted whereas in structure faculty. Portray allowed Marmol to unwind and categorical himself, freed from restrictions. But he by no means imagined {that a} inventive outlet would sometime change into a key aspect of his life.
Marmol usually experiments with oil paint and chilly wax, and he has exhibited his work in galleries all through California and different locales. “Portray started as one thing playful and private,” he notes. “It was solely after I had my first solo present that I started to see portray as greater than a passion. That have was transformative, and the chance to showcase my work to a broader viewers made me understand that this was not only a non-public endeavor.”
Immediately, Leo Marmol joins us for Friday 5!
One in every of my favourite works is Albert Camus’ “The Fable of Sisyphus.” On this essay, Camus reimagines the Greek delusion of Sisyphus, who’s condemned to eternally push a boulder up a hill, just for it to roll again down every time. Camus means that regardless of the countless repetition and futility of Sisyphus’ job, we should “think about Sisyphus pleased” – discovering which means and pleasure within the battle itself. I first encountered this textual content in an existential philosophy course at Cal Poly. The thought of embracing the method, realizing the end result won’t ever totally fulfill, resonates with the inventive journey as an artist and architect. Every time I method a brand new portray, I really feel like Sisyphus – pushing that boulder up the hill, realizing it should fall, but discovering achievement within the act of creation itself. For me, the boulder acts as a metaphor for the love of a brand new inventive endeavor, the idea we now have whereas creating that this may one way or the other be worthwhile, just for the work to by no means attain the highest. We’ve got no alternative however to please within the course of not the end result.
Photograph: Courtesy of Leo Marmol
Seeing Robert Motherwell’s work in particular person throughout a current go to to the Fashionable Artwork Museum of Fort Price was a deeply transferring expertise. Motherwell has lengthy been a hero to me. Standing earlier than items like “Elegy to the Spanish Republic,” I used to be struck by the facility of his daring composition, the place thick black ovals and vertical bands are each confrontational and delicate. There’s a visceral high quality to Motherwell’s work, a rawness that transcends the canvas and speaks to the struggles and themes of his time.
There was a significant retrospective on view, Robert Motherwell: Pure Portray, which fantastically captured the evolution of his artwork. From the sooner abstracted figurative works to his later, extra explosive explorations, every bit provided insights into his journey. I discovered myself reflecting on the steadiness of management and spontaneity and, furthermore, the bodily energy of portray – brilliantly illustrated by Motherwell’s apply, which articulates the philosophical weight of a easy stroke or type.
Photograph: Courtesy of Leo Marmol
3. Salt Water Fly Fishing in Catalina
Saltwater fly fishing is one other considered one of my favourite escapes. I like the rhythm of casting into the clear waters, feeling the pull of the present, and the anticipation of that first strike. There’s one thing meditative about it—being surrounded by the great thing about the ocean, all whereas specializing in the forged. The problem of fly fishing in saltwater, with its unpredictable situations, retains it thrilling. My teenage son and I spent a few weeks final summer time fly-fishing in Montana. It was an ideal approach to finish the summer time season earlier than he returned to highschool and me to work. It’s an opportunity to disconnect, get misplaced in nature, and expertise the facility of the water.
Photograph: Jaime Kowal, courtesy of Sparrows Lodge
The Sparrows Lodge is a mid-century gem I maintain particularly expensive to my coronary heart. Positioned in Palm Springs, the Sparrows Lodge has loved many incarnations, epitomizing the adaptive reuse of essentially the most lasting Modernist buildings. Initially constructed as Fort’s Crimson Barn in 1952 by MGM actor Don Fort, it was one of many authentic glamorous getaways for the Hollywood Elite. Restored in 2013, the lodge retains its authentic allure whereas embracing a country simplicity – uncovered beams, pebble-inlaid flooring, and reclaimed horse troughs as bathtubs – making a serene but tactile expertise.
What attracts me to the desert, and to Sparrows Lodge particularly, is the stress between the harshness of the desert surroundings and the parable of Fashionable luxurious that has been cultivated in Palm Springs. Within the desert, the extremes of warmth and light-weight choreograph moments of intense vitality that really feel each chaotic and calming. The desert is gorgeous and unusual, lethal but teeming with life. Sparrows Lodge makes house to ponder this duality – a spot the place simplicity invitations reflection, providing the uncommon luxurious of slowing down and reconnecting with the rhythms of nature inside an oasis of traditional Fifties fashionable design.
Photograph: Courtesy of Kimbell Artwork Museum
Standing contained in the Kimbell Artwork Museum throughout a current go to was a profound expertise. Designed by Louis Kahn, the architect’s use of pure mild, filtered by way of skylights and reflectors, reworked the house into one thing sacred. The interaction of concrete, travertine, and oak created a Fashionable but timeless environment, with the Roman-inspired vaults evoking a way of quiet grandeur. It was unimaginable to see how the structure itself grew to become a part of the artwork, shaping my expertise with its simplicity and class. The way in which mild always shifts all through the day felt like getting into considered one of Kahn’s reflections on house and silence.
Works by Leo Marmol and Marmol Radziner:
The Desert Home by Marmol Radziner Photograph: Benny Chan, courtesy of Marmol Radziner
Scottsdale Home by Marmol Radziner Photograph: Invoice Timmerman, courtesy of Marmol Radziner
Scottsdale Home by Marmol Radziner Photograph: Invoice Timmerman, courtesy of Marmol Radziner
Level Dume Home by Marmol Radziner Photograph: Manolo Langis, courtesy of Marmol Radziner
Level Dume Home by Marmol Radziner Photograph: Manolo Langis, courtesy of Marmol Radziner
Garcia Home by Marmol Radziner Photograph: Richard Powers, courtesy of Marmol Radziner
Garcia Home by Marmol Radziner Photograph: Benny Chan, courtesy of Marmol Radziner
Leonardo E. Marmol, Wind’s Caress, 2022, Oil and chilly wax on board, 30″ x 40″
Leonardo E. Marmol, Eulogy for Yesterday’s Daybreak, 2022, Oil and chilly wax on board, 30″ x 40″
Leonardo E. Marmol, Pastoral Views within the Borrego I, 2022, Oil and chilly wax on board, 40″ x 30″
Leonardo E. Marmol, Pastoral Views within the Borrego II, 2022, Oil and chilly wax on board, 40″ x 30″
Leonardo E. Marmol, Poets Name It Sleep I, 2022. Oil and chilly wax on board, 40″ x 30″
Leonardo E. Marmol, Poets Name It Sleep II, 2022. Oil and chilly wax on board, 40″ x 30″
