Artist Statement

The beauty of our world is the inspiration for my art. I love to travel, and as a result my life is filled with surprising and delightful art making adventures.  Many of the works on these pages were painted on site, while others were created or completed in the studio from photo references and studies.

In addition to working in oil and acrylic, in recent years I have been exploring gouache.  It is a water-based opaque paint that is challenging and fun.  My portable home-made kit of gouache paints and a cigar box easel make it possible for me to truly paint on the go!

Since 2022 I have traveled and painted in Lake Como and Umbria in Italy, Lake Lucern in Switzerland, and in 2024 I spent a total of six weeks in Scotland and Ireland, staying in lovely farmhouses and cottages that afforded me spectacular views of the countryside.  My most recent works were inspired by the eerie, otherworldly landscapes experienced during a trip to Iceland in November of 2024, and new paintings in both gouache and oil include images from travel in Portugal, Norway and France in 2025.

I maintain a studio in my home in Chevy Chase, DC. To contact me about my work or to arrange a studio visit, please email me at: ruthmarcus99@gmail.com

Ruth Marcus received her B.A. and M.S. from Queens College of the City University of New York, majoring in Fine Art with a minor in Education. She shared her passion for art with young people during her career as an art teacher in New York City and Washington, DC.  She was co-head of the art department at the Dalton School in Manhattan for ten years before moving to Washington.  For twenty-one years she taught art at Georgetown Day School.  She now pursues her art full-time.  Her works have been shown in New York City, Berkeley, CA, San Francisco, CA, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.