The beginning
Where
Chateau Gombert, Les Collines Vertes
Preferred mediums
Acrylic
Collage
Mix Media
Oil Paint
Pastels
Watercolor
Our Photo Albums
Where to find Muriel Levin’s Art
1.United States
2.France
3.Israel
4.Canada
Commissions
Please call (323)363-9140 to discuss or order a custom designed painting to enhance the interior of your hospitality complex, home or office.
I turned to the guide that had been assigned to my visit of “Les Collines Vertes” in Southern France and asked him: “Is there a room in this facility where the roof is made out of glass?” He answered with simplicity: “Sure.” I felt a surge of anticipation bubbling up: ” Could you show it to me?” He went to get the keys from the carpenter in the garage and unlocked the glass door to let me into the green house…
I had not been there in nearly half a century but I knew the place. I had thought about this place for years and kept it inside my heart. I entered with a sense of fun at seeing the abundant crop of gorgeous red vine tomatoes that had been tendered by the residents of the home; my bewildered guide said: ” They should really come and pick them, they are ready, maybe they forgot about them.”
I had not forgotten about this place. This is the place where I started to paint. I remember the kindergarten teacher with her very short blond hair, blue eyes and thin lips, her navy blue pleated skirt and her short sleeve white button down shirt. She gave me the special treatment. She let me paint when everyone else was already finished and could not wait to go play outside. While she cleaned up after all the little boys and girls, tidying up the easels , rinsing the brushes and the paint goblets, she would let me continue my work of art. I did not know I was supposed to leave with all the other kids. I just continued to paint. And she gave me the clean brush I needed for my new color, as if I was the master and she the apprentice. She was the master teacher. She just let me paint and coach me without a word, just by responding to my need of more color, clean water or more paper.
She had a wrist watch because she was very on time and organized, she had freckles on her white pinkish forearms, she was so much taller than me, that is why I remember her skirts so much. She wore flat leather sandals that were as strict as her watch. She taught us every day, the whole morning. We had all kinds of learning activities, in the class room, in the vegetable garden, and in the green house. The green house was the painting studio back then. I walked among the red and green plants, marveling at the dream come true to be back here after so many years. To be back where it all started, where the joy of painting made me paint one piece after another not aware of the time passing by….
I smile as I remember how the sun would come right onto my paper, how the light came from above and played with the colors. It happened only under the glass dome. Who knew about green house? All I knew was that the sky was above me , blue always, and that the whole room was surrounded by it. Yes I remember the bars between the glass panels. I continued to walk along the central alley of the green house and I end up in a sort of a red tile roofed shed. Why don’t I recall this place but only its scent? Oh, the storage was only for the teacher, we kids never went there. So that is where she would disappear…
I traced my steps back to the center of the greenhouse, I stood there, basking in the light from above, the very place where I had started to paint.
“Why I must paint”
Muriel M LeVin is a passionate artist who grew up in France , where she had her first exhibition when she was 5 years old. She now lives in Los Angeles, California, dotted with all the sunshine an artist can dream of. Her early teachers left an impression on her, not so much by their teachings but by their love for and active support of art and design.
After her high school art training, she used her talents in college to grace the halls with unusual wall coverings. Raising a large family in California, she would stay up late at night to find an outlet to her desire to paint. Between work and household responsibilities, she still managed to get her Bachelor in Fine Arts. Her career took a turn while her passion for architecture and interior design nudged her into Real Estate.
But art was a constant, always on her heart if not on her fingertips.
Muriel Marylin LeVin’s first training was in watercolor. Nothing can replace the soft feeling and the magic of watercolor. Her tremendously strong colors belie the traditional pastel watercolors. Acrylic on canvas was followed by oil paintings.
One of the first thing that often puzzle people is the diversity of Muriel M. LeVin’s style. She refuses to bow to marketing strategies about having a signature style. Her creativity transports her to ever-changing performances in techniques and subject, unmistakably firing the need to explore new media and styles.
One observer commented: “I am sure you are not the one who painted this, it is not your style!” How wrong could he be! Muriel M. LeVin’s versatility is amazing It is a amazing display of kaleidoscopic variety. Muriel has been dubbed a renaissance woman whose life has carried her on several continents and gifted her with numerous talents, at home, in design, in real estate and in her commitment to make people‘s life better through therapy and counseling, using the latest scientific modalities and ancient spiritual teachings.
Interestingly, this combination of spirituality and use of modern techniques is also found in her art. Her talent is continuously being refined or transformed, while she directs her art towards a greater purpose and spiritual teachings. She seeks out programs and organizations that will promote public awareness as well as corporate participation. To be a patron of the art is paying attention to the values that humanity needs for its survival.
As she observes that all great people are never confined in one area of life but enjoy all their talents to the full extend, she refuses to let marketing strategies box her into one style and medium. Her collection of art works seems eclectic but it is really very focused; except it is focused one piece of art at a time. Her art is presently sold in the United States, Canada, Israel and France.
