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Artistic Endeavors

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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All Things Home

New Society6 Papers, Prints & More

Surface design is something I’ve played with on and off for a few years and this year, I decided to lean into that interest and create some new patterns for wrapping papers as well as other available products on Society6.  While only one is specifically designed for Winter/Christmas, I feel like these designs work well year-round, including for Christmas.  (Products are up to 50% off at Society6 for their Black Friday event.) I love Society6’s wrapping paper.  It comes in five sheets that are generously-sized, so they will cover most mid-sized and small gifts.  The paper is thick, but not too thick, has a matte finish, and a grid on the back so you can make straight cuts.  I only wish you could also order it on rolls for larger presents, but it is very high quality and definitely a favorite. I’m so excited about the polka-dots (in green &

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a slice of life

travel journal workshop

I’ll give you fair warning that my posts will be all over the place for a few weeks.  We’ll be bouncing around between Christmas decorating, gifting, and crafting, to early October in Italy, and then whatever else I’m working on.  Welcome to my life.  Today, we’re back in Tuscany at the La Dolce Vita Retreat.  While this trip was a vacation, it was also work.  I was here to teach a creative workshop for the retreat attendees.  I wanted my workshop to focus on art while staying approachable for those who don’t consider themselves artists.  I decided to teach on keeping a travel journal that went beyond sitting and sketching what you see.  While that can be a part of keeping a travel journal, I think that’s the piece that is intimidating to most people.  I am an artist, and it intimidates me!  I’m not as at home with paper

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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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