Bringing Kelp to the Surface: Freediver and Painter Marie McKenzie on Art, Anglers, and MPAs

Long before she ever dove beneath the ocean's surface, artist Marie McKenzie was painting the world below it.

Growing up in the Midwest, Marie imagined underwater landscapes as dreamscapes, creating paintings and sculptures of places she'd never experienced firsthand. Today, she's an avid freediver, artist, and advocate for the conservation of some of the ocean's most beautiful and vital ecosystems.

We at Marble had the chance to sit down with Marie to see what was beneath the surface (pun intended) of her artistic practice.

Painting Kelp From Kansas

Being from Kansas, diving in the ocean hadn't always been a part of her life. Instead, she dreamt up underwater landscapes using her imagination, often confusing her audience along the way.

Marie received reactions: “Wait, you're not a diver? Like, what are you doing? Why are you painting kelp?”

But after a major life change and a move to California, the images and sculptures she created began to transform.

“And I mean you can see there's a stark contrast from my earlier works to after I started diving,” says Marie.

The evolution of her practice brought larger compositions and more striking hues, taking on a life of their own and bringing viewers directly into the world of kelp forests. This is where the connection between conservation and her art comes together.

Bringing Kelp to the Surface

Kelp is more than aquatic plant life. As Marie explains:

“They sequester more carbon than any forest on land. These forests are canopies that grow up to 150 feet tall in ideal conditions.”

For so many of us, these places remain unseen. Through her art, Marie creates a portal into that world.

“It's to bring kelp to the surface where more people can experience it and see its beauty and how healing it is for the world,” she adds.

Her work invites us to appreciate the importance of kelp, something many of us have only encountered washed up on a beach. In Southern California, where Marie now lives, she witnesses firsthand the immense impact these underwater forests have on the ecosystems around them. Their significance goes far beyond their beauty.

Why Anglers Should Care

As anglers, we understand the importance of allowing nature to thrive. Underwater structure plays a major role in creating habitats for fish and supporting life throughout the food chain. The biodiversity that kelp forests sustain makes them that much more significant, and as anglers, we should be paying attention too.

These spaces face growing pressure from overfishing and other harmful practices. More and more, people are waking up to the reality that the ocean isn't an endless resource. Yet misconceptions and misinformation can still influence how we vote, advocate, and ultimately protect these ecosystems.

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are one way to give marine life the space it needs to recover and thrive. Their benefits can extend beyond the protected boundaries, supporting surrounding fisheries and the communities that depend on them.

“And that creates a ripple effect where there's so much more fish for the fishermen around. So everybody wins with MPAs,” Marie explains.

Getting Comfortable With the Uncomfortable

But beyond her work as an artist and advocate, there's another story worth telling: how a girl from the Midwest became a freediver in the first place.

Marie had always admired the ocean through imagination and visits to aquariums. But the leap from swimming in the ponds she grew up around to diving dozens of feet beneath the ocean's surface was no small feat.

After making major changes in her life, she challenged herself to explore the world she'd spent so many years imagining.

“That curiosity of wanting to know more led me down,” she says. “I would have never imagined that I would be this environmental advocate for kelp, like being from Kansas.”

But here she is. Artist, freediver, and advocate.

We hope the Marble community can appreciate not only the beauty of Marie's work, but also the reminder that we all have the ability to push ourselves to see familiar places in new ways. Whether that's diving beneath the surface for the first time or simply taking a moment to look a little closer at the world around us.

We'll leave you with a thought from Marie that we could all spend a little more time asking ourselves:

“My mantra became, ‘get comfortable with the uncomfortable.’ And I asked myself, what else am I really afraid of doing?”

So challenge yourself to see things from a new perspective, stay curious about the places we share, and do what you can to protect them.

And most importantly, DON'T LOSE YOUR MARBLES.

See More of Marie's Work

Website: mariemckenzie.com

Instagram: @mariemckenzieart