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Artistic Endeavors

Artistic Endeavors

what makes you an artist

This is a quote from Junot Díaz, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, that I wrote in my notebook years ago. I’ve probably shared it here before, but I thought I would share it again. “A writer is not a writer because she writes well and easily, because she has amazing talent, or because everything she does is golden.  A writer is a writer because, even when there is no hope, even when nothing you do shows any sign of progress, you keep writing anyway.“ As I was reviewing my manuscript, some of my own words hit me afresh.  ‘You are the thing when you do the thing.” Sometimes we hesitate to call ourselves something, especially if we’re new at it, we do it for a hobby, or we feel like we aren’t good enough to claim the title. But you are a writer if you write. You are a painter if

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Art

my painting style

When you first start a creative endeavor, you’re just trying to do the thing, and you aren’t too worried about what bucket or genre you might fit in. As you grow and start to find your style and voice, you do start to wonder where you fit. When people have asked me to define my art style over the years, I haven’t really been sure how to answer.  I like the impressionists, but my work clearly doesn’t look like a Monet or Degas.  My paintings are more “impressionistic”, though, in that I avoid getting too far in the weeds with detail.  I try to say as much as I can with what I need and no more.  I also usually paint what I see and want my art to look like a painting of a real subject or place.  Even with all the studying and reading I’ve done about art

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Artistic Endeavors

My new book | Cover & Title Reveal

I am so excited to finally reveal the title and cover for my new book – Move Slow & Make Things: Pursuing the Delightfully Fulfilling Creative Life. This book was born out of hundreds of conversations I’ve had with people over the years, in person, in small groups, and online, about creativity and what it means to be an artist.  Sometimes, the conversation starts with a question from someone seeking to make more room for creativity in their own life: How did you start painting?  How do you grow as an artist?  When did you consider yourself a writer or an artist?  How do I make time in my life for creative endeavors? Sometimes, the conversation starts with a remark that often stems from the assumption that certain artistic abilities are an elusive gift bestowed on only a few: I wish I could paint.  I’ve always wanted to do fill-in-the-blank.

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Art

Fine Art Prints available at Marrs on Main

After working with Jenny Marrs on pet portraits for one of her design clients (you can read about that HERE), the shop manager for Marrs on Main reached out to me about carrying some of my prints in the store.  I was naturally excited about the opportunity, but I had never sold prints directly, so I had a lot of logistics to figure out.    The first step was finding a printer I liked, so I ordered a bunch of print samples from several companies in different finishes to find my favorite.  I compared all of my sample prints (I ordered two of my paintings, one light and one dark, in 5 x 7s of each paper) and selected the one I liked best. Then, I needed to figure out the packaging. Prints are a fairly delicate product.  You don’t want them getting smudged, bent, marked, or wet, so they

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Art

Encouraging words from Degas about AI

“Without a heart, can one not be an artist?” – Edgar Degas I heard this quote in Sebastian Smee’s book The Art of Rivalry.  It was in the context of Degas’s reputation for being a misogynist and having an aversion to love and marriage.  He said and wrote things that seemed to show at least some sentimentality and softness, including the quote above, and an anecdote about when he and Monet argued about who cared for Berthe Morisot more as they organized a retrospective after her death.  I wrote the quote in my Commonplace Notebook for future reference. AI seems to come up in conversation with more and more regularity, especially when it comes to creative work.  Will AI make artists, writers, filmmakers, designers, and the like obsolete? One of my commission clients sent me an AI-produced “oil painting” of her dog, and I have to admit, it was a

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Art

As seen on HGTV’s Fixer to Fabulous

This summer, I worked on my largest-ever commissioned pet portrait project – a collection of five original oil paintings for Jenny Marrs, to be featured in a home makeover on Fixer to Fabulous on HGTV.  It started when Jenny reached out to ask me to write an endorsement for her new book.  As much as time allows, I try to say yes to those requests to support other writers and creative entrepreneurs.  As I was reading through the digital sample of the book so I could write the endorsement, I realized that we both went to high school in Orlando, Florida.  As it turns out, we went to rival schools, and I was just a couple of years ahead of her!  I would imagine we crossed paths at some point.  Anyway, this led to more chit-chat, and I had the thought that I should present the idea of using my

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Art

January 16, 2026 | original art sale preview

I’m so excited to share the latest round of original oil paintings for sale.  It is the first of many collections (I’m sure) that include pieces inspired by my trip to England and Italy last fall. The original art sale is scheduled for Friday, January 16, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern (New York).  In this original art sale, I have pieces ranging from 4 x 6 hand-painted color charts on antique linen ($50) up to a 16 x 20 painting of a Cotswold cow ($650).  This collection includes still life paintings featuring plums, clementines, limelight hydrangeas, blueberries, and pears.  There are landscapes from Maryland, Italy, and England.  And I have a few animal portraits available, including Cotswold sheep, rabbits, one cow, and a few dogs (one Italian and the rest American).  I always think I’m going to stick to one theme for an online sale, and maybe I will one

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Art Supplies

Artists’ Guild Notepads

As I’ve been bouncing around the house, alternating between studio work and decorating the house for Christmas, I came upon a stack of the notepads I had ordered and intended to list for sale earlier this year!  You know, when you have an idea in mind, you stick the thing in a closet, and then you forget about it?  Well, that’s precisely what happened here.  I got sidetracked, and the notepads were a casualty of having my fingers in too many pies. Instead of letting them languish in the closet, I decided to bring them out, finally list them on the website, and make them available for Christmas gifts or for those who are always in *need* of just one more good notepad. You can shop the notepad HERE.  (As a quick note, my eCommerce software is showing $30 as the default for shipping for one notepad.  Shipping is free. 

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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.

next art sale

May 20th, 2026 at 1pm EST

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