It’s been dubbed the "Witch’s House.” Urban legends portray the former owner and creator as a loner, shut in her home, creating the concrete statues that adorn the yard.
But artist Mary Nohl was no witch. She was a prolific artist, an innovator, and a caring friend. That’s what attracted Marielle Allschwang to her work.
The singer-songwriter found herself enamored by the folklore surrounding Nohl’s life and artwork, which inspired her new album, Precession Of A Day: The World Of Mary Nohl. Allschwang and guitarist Adam Krause, who plays alongside her as part of Marielle Allschwang & the Visitation, say the process of creating this album was long and arduous.
"It was sort of like a five-year-long process of painting someone's portrait," says Allschwang.
The Mary Nohl Art Environment (the artist's home for most of her life) has immortalized many of her sculptures and other pieces. Allschwang says she was not only a prolific artist, she was also a prolific letter writer who regularly corresponded with friends. Some of these letters were used as the basis of songs on the album, and each song presents a piece of the artist's life.
"Bit by bit, finally we kind of landed on a cluster of things that, as we pulled back from the canvas, actually looked like that we knew and loved in our imagination," Allschwang explains.
Marielle Allschwang & the Visitations are performing at the Oriental Theatre on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m., in support of the album, Precession Of A Day: The World Of Mary Nohl.
