A unique style of abstraction, “Essence of Light” focuses on the intimacy and interplay light and shadow create within a painting. Maruska’s process starts by covering panels with a thick emulsion of modeling paste, giving the effect of a subtle, three-dimensional profile.

He then comes back into the surface laying down rich color over the masses and shapes, using the shadows and protrusions as guidelines and upon this he layers oil paint. Using neither brush, nor palette knife in his creations, Maruska chooses either his hand or a rag to penetrate color deep within his surface. He has a keen awareness of not only what he visualizes, but also of what the viewer might experience, as he deliberately organizes the luscious abstract fields of color, giving root to landscape, sky and water.

Maruska’s undulating lines move and ripple across the painting surface and allow the viewer to interpret and perceive the works with an endless array of imagination and visual interpretation.