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Artistic Endeavors

Artistic Endeavors

the patina of practice

I saw this post a few weeks ago on Instagram…     View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Araminta Sainsbury (@minty_sainsbury) And I just loved it.  I love that the artist saved all of her pencil nubs, 272 of them created and collected over 8 1/2 years of practice to become the artist she is today.  I love that she wanted to celebrate them and take it even further to turn them into a piece of art. When I’m browsing at an antique market or store, I seem to be drawn to pieces that have been well-used, patched, and repaired.  I always felt like it was evidence that the object was very useful and loved.  We simply don’t take the time to repair things we don’t need, use, or love.  But, we’ll superglue, stitch, tape, mend, darn, and care for our favorite things.  We’ll tolerate stains

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All Things Home

Original Frame TV Art

Over the past year or so, a few people suggested offering my artwork as a digital file sized for the.  Since I don’t own a FrameTV, I had never really considered that, but I thought it was a good idea!  So, I combed back through the digital files of my original oil paintings and selected ones that would work well with the crop ratio of a TV.  So, if you’re interested in adding some of my art to your home on your , a selection of paintings is now available HERE. There are currently four collections of FrameTV art available… The Animal Collection features dogs, ducks, and rabbits…   The Landscape Collection features landscapes, villages, beaches, water, and barns… The Still Life Collection features carrots, pears, clementines, baby shoes, and more… And, I included a collection of scans of sketches and watercolors from the antique GH Kitchin sketchbooks in the

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Art

three art exercises to loosen up & get unstuck

Sometimes it’s little things that make you feel stuck.  A few months ago, I stopped filming art videos and tutorials.  I was busy and the house was noisy and messy due to renovations, but that hadn’t stopped me before.  I finally realized that making videos fell off a cliff when I moved my desk away from the window.  I didn’t feel like I had a nice, bright place to film, so I just stopped filming.  I moved my desk back a few weeks ago and I’ve already filmed several painting videos, including the one I’m sharing in this post. I’m sharing this to introduce an art video that feels a little out of the blue since I haven’t made one in a while, but also as a prompt.  If you feel creatively stuck, maybe one small change will get you creating again.  Maybe you need better light, some fun new

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All Things Home

the kent house

The house in Kent, a neighborhood of Washington DC hit the market last week and I wanted to share pictures of how this gorgeous house turned out!  I’m going to share a few photos, but you can see the listing HERE if you want to see to full house tour. Here is how the house looks from the exterior.  I love the copper accents added to the overhangs and gutters as well as how they made a real feature of the windows and doors. The largest painting of mine is Verschoor Barn, whish is hanging over the fireplace in the living room… We didn’t have a frame for this one (bummer), so I painted the edges black to frame it out.  I would’ve preferred a frame, but I think it works nicely with the fireplace and modern furnishings. As I’ve shared before, the styling was done by Caroline of Ekster

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Art

commissioned paintings

This is sort of turning into art week here on the blog.  There is just a lot happening with my artwork right now, so that’s what was in the hopper to share.  I do have some other home projects going on, though, and I’ll share some of those next week.  I really just need to take the time to get some photos of what I’ve been working on. Anyway, today I wanted to officially announce that I am offering commissioned paintings.  I’ve taken one or two here and there, but I always felt a little intimidated by them!  Actually, a lot intimidated!  But, I feel like I’ve grown as an artist both technically and in acknowledging my own abilities.  (It’s interesting that we have to nurture the ability to say, “Hey, I’m actually good enough to do this!”)  I feel more comfortable in my style and process and, while I

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Art

dream partnership

This is one of those you-just-never-know stories that goes all the way back to 2004 when I ordered a book from a home decor book club.  The book was called .  The cover of that book is unfortunate, but the interior is scrumptious.  I poured over that book and, almost 20 years later, it’s still a favorite home decor book to revisit.  The book features the homes and tips of shop owners, designers, and stylists.  And one of the shops featured in that book is Ekster Antiques. Fast forward to my first Lucketts Spring Market as a vendor in May of 2010.  As I milled around to look at other booths, I was so enamored with one particular tent that was filled with natural tones and European Antiques.  I snapped this picture, a little slice of the beautiful space curated and styled by Caroline of Ekster Antiques.  I didn’t make

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Art

August 2023 original art sale preview

The art side of my business has been slowly chugging along for a few years.  I go through spurts and seasons but didn’t really commit to producing enough to have regular art sales (about once every six weeks) until this year.  And, wow!  What a difference it’s made.  I know I shouldn’t be surprised that commitment and follow-through can have a significant impact on many aspects of growth, but it’s still surprising.  I find myself feeling more like an artist, like that might be the simple answer when someone asks what I do.  It’s not all I do, but it’s feeling more and more like it’s becoming the main thing I do.  Not only am I having regular art sales, but I am also getting more requests from clients who want custom work for specific projects or who would like to carry my work in their retail spaces.  More of

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Art

new artwork added to Society6 (and a sale!)

I intended to make new pieces available as prints on Society6 after each original art sale, but I got behind.  The truth is, I would rather paint and do a ton of other things rather than upload photos of paintings, and tag and categorize them for a few hours.  It’s not complicated, but it’s a repetitive task that isn’t very engaging.  But, I finally pinned myself down and added a bunch of new paintings – bunnies, water birds, landscapes, still life, and one of the dogs.  I didn’t add all of my paintings from the past few months, but I added some of my favorites.  If there was one that spoke to you and you were waiting for one to be available as a print, then just let me know! If you want to jump right to Society6 to see the new designs added, you can click HERE.  Society6 is

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I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

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May 20th, 2026 at 1pm EST

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