By Cansu Waldron

Cari L. Marvelli is a photographer and digital collage artist based in New York’s Hudson Valley, where she creates richly layered works built from decades of original photographs. Describing herself as a “repurposer of ideas,” she weaves together fragments from her personal archive to form dreamlike compositions that explore identity, memory, and transformation. Her work often features recurring symbols and self-portraits, revealing the interplay between vulnerability and reinvention.

Originally from Reno, Nevada, Cari’s creative path has been as multifaceted as her collages. From photographing the raw punk energy of her hometown scene as a teenager to studying acting in San Francisco and performing in New York’s East Village, each chapter has informed her visual storytelling. After moving to Kingston in 2001, she shifted her focus to writing, filmmaking, and later digital collage — where all her past creative experiences converge. Her current work channels a quiet sensuality and introspection, transforming the personal archive of her life into a visual language of resilience and rediscovery.

We asked Cari about her art, creative process, and inspirations.

You’ve lived so many creative lives — from punk photography and acting to filmmaking and collage. Do you see all of these as connected threads, or as distinct chapters in your story?

I think of myself as a repurposer of ideas and projects, so every creative endeavor I have engaged in has a deep connection to all other endeavors. The thousands of photographs I have taken over many decades are used in my digital collage work, often with the hashtag #repurposed, so there are many recognizable symbols in most of my work.

Your collages often use your own image as raw material. What does it feel like to turn the camera inward and then deconstruct yourself through collage?

It feels scary, but also thrilling to expose myself. I have worked as an actor and model and am very comfortable in front of a camera (or audience), in general. Some of my pieces help me to explore the darker aspects of my personality, or the soft vulnerable underbelly, which is typically not a comfortable experience, but one that is necessary for me to grow.

You mentioned stepping back from exhibiting to refine your collage work. What has this quieter, more private phase given you creatively?

It is very typical for me to take a step back after a strong production phase, as I need time for creative retrospection and to allow new, fresh ideas to emerge. I started noticing that I wasn't enjoying what I was doing, so I stopped and decided to take up drumming. It was the best thing that ever happened to me, because the body fuels the mind and vice versa.

What is a fun fact about you?

I was part of a small group of individuals who created a thriving hardcore punk scene in a city (Reno) that resisted it as best it could. At 16, I was the lead singer for a band called G.I. Jane and co-publishing-editor for a fanzine that helped to establish a lifelong love of photography. There are still folks in the world who refer to me as Jane.

What else fills your time when you’re not creating art?

I am a grandmother and spend most of my free time with my family. Also, did I mention I play drums :)

What is a dream project you’d like to make one day?

I have made a couple of short films over the years so I suppose if I had unlimited resources, I would make a full-length feature film. I have several 'unfinished' scripts just waiting to be dusted off and polished.

Have there been any surprising or memorable responses to your work?

Not so much with my photography or digital artwork, but I once made (and starred in) a short film called Man'aise which was a 6-minute mockumentary about a woman whose life is a complete trainwreck. I submitted it to Mockfest in Hollywood (2009) and it was selected. I was nominated (and subsequently won) for best actress in a drama. The surprise was that many people came up to me after the showing and talked about how tragic the character was, and it was obvious they had some feelings about her life/circumstances. But it was a MOCKUMENTARY and I felt people took it way too seriously. But that's LA for ya.