Solstice Strata

Born on June 21st, the Summer Solstice, at the height of light, my work examines the intersection of celestial physics and the human heartbeat. Solstice Strata approaches abstraction through process rather than representation, treating time as both subject and method.
The work is constructed through cycles of accumulation, disruption, and partial removal. Acrylics form the primary structural medium, used alongside oil sticks, sprays, and other materials that register gesture, pressure, and duration. Embedded within the surface are references to North, South, East, and West—spatial coordinates that, when considered alongside time, introduce a fourth-dimensional framework. These layers form a visual topography shaped by rhythm, repetition, and interruption, where erosion and revelation are equally intentional.
This approach reflects a contemporary mode of inquiry, distinct from Renaissance methods of observing and recording the world. Where figures such as Leonardo da Vinci sought to catalog knowledge through drawing and measurement, my process acknowledges wisdom as cumulative, evolving, and continuously revised. Solstice Strata engages with centuries of inquiry into space and time, not by documenting conclusions, but by embodying the ongoing act of learning.
The work invites viewers to move beyond the literal measurement of seconds and instead sense the weight of years. Time is not presented as a line, but as a terrain—marked by cycles, resistance, and change. Through multi-layered visual chronologies, the piece proposes time as something experienced rather than counted.

Artist: Margueritte Tonbazian
Title: Solstice Strata- 2026
Genre: Abstract
Medium/Technique: Acrylics form the primary structural medium, used alongside oil sticks, sprays, and other materials.
Dimensions: 48.0 x 36.0 inches

NY5F- New York Take Five

New York Take Five depicts an abstract figure immersed in the constant stream of podcasting and audio input that defines contemporary urban life. The work reflects the rhythm of New York—where people move rapidly through Times Square with takeaway coffee in hand, ears occupied, minds constantly engaged—rarely allowing space for pause or silence. The painting gently suggests the importance of stepping away from continuous consumption, slowing down, and taking a moment to simply be, perhaps in the calm of Central Park.

Artist: Margueritte Tonbazian
Title: NY5F - New York Take Five - 2026
Genre: Abstract
Medium/Technique: Oil Painting
Dimensions: 48.0 x 36.0 inches

DNA of a Passing Landscape

Artist: Margueritte Tonbazian
Title: DNA of Passing Landscape- 2026
Genre: Abstract
Medium/Technique: Mixed media on canvas.

Acrylic paint, acrylic ink, spray paint, natural coconut husk (coir), oil paint.

Dimensions: 30 x 48 inches

Balcony Consciousness (Fort Lauderdale) explores the threshold between perception and memory, recording not a landscape itself but the moment immediately after it dissolves. Begun from a fifth-floor oceanfront balcony, the work emerges from a fleeting state of awareness—when the mind releases the view while the body continues to hold its impression.The incorporation of coconut husk peelings (coir), collected on site from freshly cut palms, collapses the boundary between environment and artwork. These organic materials are embedded directly into the surface, functioning as structural and conceptual elements rather than symbolic references. Areas left partially unpainted expose the husk’s natural form, positioning material presence as evidence of place.Layered applications of acrylic, ink, and spray paint establish a rapid, atmospheric foundation, later intersected by oil paint that introduces weight, duration, and reflection. The composition resists a singular reading, shifting between abstraction, landscape, and embodied experience.Rather than depicting the oceanfront, the painting preserves its afterimage—a lateral movement of consciousness, suspended briefly before returning.

Poetry

The foundation of this work began with an underpainting in acrylic ink, spray paint and Rublev pigment mixed with acrylic binder. Once the first vision was expressed on canvas, I repainted over it with pigments enriched by lead white and layers of oil paint, allowing depth and luminosity to emerge. Beyond its surface, Poetry reflects our inner landscapes — the dreams of a happy life, the secret wish lists we hold close, and the hopes we strive and pray for. Through its layered process, the work mirrors the layered nature of our aspirations: concealed, evolving, and ultimately revealed in art.

Artist: Margueritte Tonbazian
Title: Poetry - 2025
Genre: Abstract
Medium/Technique: Painting Oil
Dimensions: 152.4 x 76.2 cm

Everyone Wears One - Mask

Built on canvas with a base of foil and plaster, layered with ink, spray paint, acrylic, and Prisma colors, this work evokes the energy and mystery of a masquerade ball. In a contemporary abstract style, it explores identity as both performance and concealment, where masks shimmer, distort, and reveal simultaneously.

Artist: Margueritte Tonbazian
Title: Everyone Wears One - Mask (2025)
Genre: Abstract
Medium/Technique: Painting Other
Dimensions: 122.0 x 91.0 cm

Fear on Skybridge was inspired by travels to Pigeon Forge and the Gatlinburg SkyPark Bridge in Tennessee — a place where exhilaration meets unease. Although the figures are imagined, the emotion reflects the shared experience of visitors who sense the tension between beauty and fear when standing high above the ground — the fear of height, the uncertainty of weather, and the fragile trust in transparent ground. Through layered applications of oil, Rublev marble dust, and Gamblin cold wax, the painting explores the contrast between transparency and weight, fragility and strength. The work transforms collective fear into a moment of suspended reflection — a dialogue between vulnerability, awe, and the human instinct for balance amid uncertainty.

Artist: Margueritte Tonbazian
Title: Fear on Skybridge
Genre: Abstract
Medium/Technique: Painting Oil
Dimensions: 48.0 x 36.0 inches

Fear on Skybridge

SERENITY

Serenity is an oil painting inspired by lived moments during a vacation in Armenia, transforming personal experience into a vivid emotional landscape. Through vibrant color and expressive brushwork, the work captures an unspoken harmony between place and memory. Layered oils create depth and luminosity, allowing color to function as emotion rather than representation. Influenced by Armenia’s natural and cultural intensity, Serenity stands as both a personal reflection and a universal meditation on presence, travel, and inner calm.

Observer Across Blue Lake

Artist: Margueritte Tonbazian
Title: Observer Across Blue Lake
Genre: Abstract
Medium/Technique: Painting Oil
Dimensions: 48.0 x 36.0 inches

Inspired by a jog through Cliffcrest Park, this painting transforms a realistic memory into an impression of tranquility and reflection. Though based on a real place, the composition departs from photographic accuracy to evoke an emotional response — a distant village across a blue lake on a luminous afternoon.
A magnified abstract figure occupies the right corner, symbolizing the collective presence of community visitors who quietly observe and appreciate nature’s beauty. The work bridges abstract realism and impression, exploring the relationship between humanity and landscape.
Executed in oil and cold wax, the surface combines palette knife impasto with transparent oxides and iridescent pigments, integrating contemporary materials that reflect the evolving language of today’s fine art practice.

Artist: Margueritte Tonbazian
Title: Grounding (Balanced Life) - 2022
Genre: Abstract
Medium/Technique: Painting Acrylic
Dimensions: 40.0 x 30.0 inches

Grounding (Balanced Life)

Created using heavy-body acrylics and pouring mediums, with layered, dynamic motion, this work embodies the tension between the mind’s restless fears and the need for stability. Its textured surface and earthy tones serve as a visual reminder that life unfolds in cycles of highs and lows, and that grounding oneself — mentally, emotionally, and physically — is essential. The imagery reflects my personal practice: creating a space to pause, breathe, and reconnect amidst life’s challenges. It is both a meditation and a guide, inviting viewers to experience the flow of life while finding moments of inner balance.

Artistic Journey and forgotten Memories

• Trade Show in Beirut 1982

• Cyprus Studio - 1986

• The Loyalist College Summer Arts Experience

• Guangzhou Yuanmei Art Training Center

Creativity Board

Artistic expression and photography begin with nature. Ideas rise from what we see and feel—moments that stir emotion, awaken memory, and stay with us forever, just like the artworks themselves.