Old (Dead) Masters show October 2020

Hey, now’s your chance to see my Old (Dead) Masters show up close and in person at the Ludington Area Center for the Arts in October!

The timing for this show is too perfect! When I got a message from Ludington Area Center for the Arts saying they had a last minute cancellation and could I possibly bring in my Old (Dead) Masters paintings to display in the Performance Hall Lobby, I said yes, yes, yes!

The Very Last Supper, Old (Dead) Masters show — The Very Last Supper, Old (Dead) Mastters show

Old (Dead) Masters Show at Ludington Area Center for the Arts, October 2020 — The Very Last Supper, Old (Dead) Mastters show

I love this time of year. Of course, skeleton art is appropriate at any and all times of the year, in my opinion, but especially in October. It rocks!

This show features all the Old (Dead) Masters pieces that I have, each in a beautifully appropriate skull themed frame. You have to see them, they’re too cool!

So if you’re looking to get into that spooky skeleton mood this year–not that there’s anything not terrifying about 2020 so far, mind you–please make the trip to see my beautiful Old (Dead) Masters show. The art is fun and not too scary, so appropriate for all skeleton lovers, no matter their age. And it’s only up through October!

Bonus activity: see if you can correctly identify each of the famous artists/works that I parodied for each piece!

The details

Where:
Performance Hall Lobby, Ludington Area Center for the Arts, 107 S. Harrison St., Ludington, Michigan.

When:
Through October 2020

Hours:
Tuesday thru Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays, noon to 3 p.m

Parking everywhere, but there is some construction going on right now so you may have to get creative in your approach.

Happy Halloween!

Art Show wrap up, new pastel painting

To wrap up last month’s Art Show in three words, I’d use “breezy,” “grateful,” and “normal”. The weather was breezy both weekends, and the shoppers were grateful to be able to do something normal for a change.

Art show wrap up painting "A Little Bit of Normal" 8x8" pastel on sanded paper by Marie Marfia. — A little bit of normal, 8×8″ pastel on sanded paper by Marie Marfia. $250.

This is a pastel of my booth with some shoppers in it and their very patient doggy waiting in the front. He was a lot more interested in what was happening in front of him than behind. Since he’s facing the check out tent, maybe he was attracted by all the flapping tissue paper as we attempted to wrap up the more fragile items without everything flying away from us. It was sunny, yes, but also very windy! One of the perks of living near Lake Michigan is there’s almost always a breeze to be had.

All in all, it was a pretty successful couple of weekends. One of the things we heard over and over was how nice it was to do something “normal.” Normal in this case being an art show. So many events got cancelled this year, it was nice to have a show and put up signs and sell stuff. So I’m calling this piece “A Little Bit of Normal” because that’s what it meant to so many people.

Laurie says she’s done with art shows after this year, so I may have to stage one of my own. Stay tuned. I have some ideas about this and they involve a new studio space in my own front yard! It’s going to be so cool. I can’t wait.

Thanks for coming out and supporting us. It’s one of my favorite memories from this year so far.

If you’re interested in purchasing this piece, email me.

Artsie Craft Show returns!

Well, that was so much fun, we’re doing it again this next weekend! Come see us Saturday and Sunday, October 10-11, 2020 at 505 E. Melendy St., Ludington, Michigan. We’ll have some new items on display (I’m bringing Covid cards–thanks for the suggestion, Denise!) and the weather promises to be much more clement than it was before! Maybe in the 60’s!

Pictures from last weekend. Hope to see you there!

Making skeleton funeral fans

paper cut outs and the wooden fan — Parts for the fan.

the pretty side of the fan — Venus being blown across the sea by the North wind.

the advertising side of the fan "keep looking beautiful" with a pirate skull — The advertising side.

I’m having a lot of fun making funeral fans to take to the Holiday Show this year! I thought the Birth of Venus was an appropriate image for this first one. She’s getting blown to shore by the North Wind. If you were stuck in church in the heat with no AC, you’d probably love to have a skelly fan to cool yourself off with, right?

Back in the day, churches would sell advertising on the backs of their paper fans. I made up my own for this one.

I’ll have ten altogether. Hope you can make it to the show!

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Skeleton art masks available

So a few weeks ago I made up some skeleton art masks in time for the Yart Sale at my friend’s house. I made ten of them, to be exact. I have three left.

skeleton art mask with elastic bands, copper wire nose piece and featuring skelly dancer no. 8 — Skelly Dancer No. 8 skeleton art mask

skeleton art mask with blue skelly dancers, elastic bands, copper nose piece — Blue Skelly Dancers skeleton art mask

skeleton art mask, open, with elastic bands and copper nose wire — Last One to Ludington Buys the Ice Cream at House of Flavors skeleton art mask

They’re made from cotton and inkjet-printable fabric. I sew plastic-coated copper wire in the top seam so you can adjust the fit around your nose. You can wash them in cold water without detergent, line dry, and use a hot iron (no steam) to touch them up. Each one takes about a half hour to an hour to do. I’ve had a request to make the kind that you can put a reusable filter in, so the next batch will have pockets in the back.

Let me know if you’d like something different in the way of skeleton art on these. Any of my art work (including landscapes) could make an eye-catching art mask!

Right now these three are in my shop but I’ll have a bunch of them at the Holiday Artsie Craftsie Show coming up October 3 & 4, 2020. To get reminders about this and other events, sign up for my newsletter in the menu.

The key to Yart sale success

Laurie tapes a sign to Craig's chest during our successful yart sale last weekend.

If you want to get people to come to your yart sale, you have to give them a sign. About 30 of them, actually.

Laurie Carey, who hosted the sale on her front lawn, is an absolute genius about making signs that draw people in. These were hot pink, stenciled with the days, times and address and with huge black arrows on them pointing the way. We put them at every major intersection leading into town and they did a great job bringing people in to the sale!

All weekend long, people would come up and say to us, “The signs were awesome!” I swear, Laurie ought to teach a class because she sure knows how to host a sale.

We all sold a ton of art, met a lot of new fans, and had a great time doing it. Best Yart Sale ever! Let’s do it again next year!

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On the radio!

Kendra Karr was kind enough to come interview me for Interlochen Public Radio and here’s the result. Enjoy! (I sure did!)

Getting Reacquainted, pastel portrait by Marie Marfia

This is a portrait painting I did to remember a recent visit by my daughter, her wife and their baby. It was magical to have them all out to the house and spend time with them.

For a reference I used a picture that my daughter took of me on the floor in the living room, chatting with Maeve. There’s another picture of hers that I want to use, too.

It’s nice to have a reference that I didn’t set up myself for a change. I am always so self-conscious when I’m doing the picture taking. This is a nice composition. The figures are loose and relaxed. I like the way the light is outlining our heads and faces. I tried not to overwork the faces, but it’s easy to get carried away. Just means I need more practice!

Here’s the time-lapse:

Here’s the final:

Getting Reacquainted, 11x11" pastel on sanded paper by Marie Marfia. — Getting Reacquainted, 11×11″ pastel on sanded paper by Marie Marfia. NFS.

Two portraits finally get a forever home

I recently heard from someone whose portrait I’d done a few years back when I was in the middle of my 100 Portraits in 100 Days project. She wanted to know if that portrait and the one I’d done of her husband were still available to purchase.

I was pretty sure they were. I’d enjoyed making them, especially because of the furry hat and beard in one of the reference photos. (I have a weakness for furry hats and beards.) And sure enough, I found them in my flat file.

I mean, I make paintings because it’s fun and challenging and therapeutic, but I always love it when they find a home. Portraits especially. No one wants to live in a flat file all their life, right?

Here they are:

Portrait No. 38, 100 Portraits in 100 Days, 9×6″ pastel on paper by Marie Marfia, sold.

Portrait No. 39, 100 Portraits in 100 Days, 9×6″ pastel on paper by Marie Marfia, sold.

Below is a picture of how they’re displayed in her home.

Read more about my 100 Portraits in 100 Days Project. Find out more about having me create a portrait for you or someone you love.

My Covid art was featured in The Freshwater Reporter!

Very exciting! A big thank you to publisher and editor Pat Stinson, who wrote about my artistic coping skills during the pandemic. It’s nice to be noticed! Here’s the article:

I'm at the bottom of the page! Skeletons! Art! Pandemic! Awesomeness! — If you can’t read this because it’s too small, email me and I’ll happily type it up for you. Seriously, I totally will.

The Freshwater Reporter is printed 16 times a year and features local news and events with a positive vibe. I confess that I have a weakness for start up publications, having gone through it myself in a previous life, and I’ve been advertising my studio and gallery in The Freshwater Reporter since they first began putting themselves out there. You go!