Category Archives: Still life

Red Christmas

Click to bid • 8x8in. • soft pastel on textured gatorboard • starts at $100

Practicing up for my class at Ludington Area Center for the Arts on Tuesday, December 13, 2022, 6-8pm. We’ll be painting Christmas ornaments.

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You can buy my art imprinted on all kinds of cool stuff in my Fine Art America Shop. You can purchase downloads in my Etsy shop or cards imprinted with a personal message and mailed for you in my Signed Cards store. Buy greeting cards, prints and stickers in my Square shop. You can purchase my original art on Daily Paint Works.

Purely Ornamental

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! We’ve gotten some snow and the Christmas music has started playing in the stores. I will be teaching a pastel class at Ludington Area Center for the Arts on Tuesday, December 13, 2022 from 6-8pm and the subject will be Christmas ornaments. This is one possibility.

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All Gussied Up

Click to bid • 10x8in. • pastel on paper • starts at $100

Getting my Halloween on!

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Nose in a Book

I’ve always got my nose in a book! You?

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A Toast to Old Friends

Well, well, well. We meet again! Skull still lifes throughout the spooky season. This is fun!

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Red high heels

Red High Heels

I love poetry. I try to read a poem every day. Today’s poem was all about red high heels. Or maybe not. Poems are awesome that way.

Anyway, I decided to swing by Goodwill on my way to work and pick up a pair of high heeled shoes. They didn’t have any red ones but I found two pair of black ones that I loved so I got those and decided I’d just paint them as though they were red. Art is awesome that way.

If you’re interested in purchasing this painting, send me an email. Thanks!

My Tools

A roll of tape, an x-acto knife, brushes, scissors, fixative. That’s all I need.

This painting is on ebay as of 9pm tonight. Bidding starts at 99¢.

So Far Apart

These apples are at the limit of the picture plane in all directions. All except the one on the top, which could be directing traffic, or could be trying to find common ground between the other two, or might be counting to ten before they turn and fire.

pastel painting of three red apples on a pale blue ground

So Far Apart, 6×9″ pastel on illustration board by Marie Marfia

So Far Apart, detail, 6×9″ pastel on illustration board by Marie Marfia

Here are the progress pics:

: Charcoal skketch.

: Block in with complementary colors.

: Alcohol wash to set the color.

: Local color.

: Highlights.

: Final tweaks.

Playing with my food

When in Roma

How about a new series? I know I’m ready for one.

To be honest, between the portrait series and trying to get our house ready to sell, I’m feeling the need to simplify my life any way I can. So for the next month or so I’m going to concentrate on uncomplicated subject matter. And what’s simpler than food?

Steve and I are getting into a new diet plan and I thought, This is great! I’ll paint what I’m eating, which, as it turns out, is a lot of fruit and vegetables. I enjoyed doing these so much last year (remember the xmas zucchini?) and I feel like it’s time to get into them again. Hope you enjoy them.

When in Roma, 6×9″ pastel on illustration board by Marie Marfia

When in Roma, detail, 6×9″ pastel on illustration board by Marie Marfia

Progress pics:

: Charcoal drawing.

: Complimentary color block in

: Alcohol wash to set the color.

: Blocking in with limited palette.

: Final tweaks.

This painting is available at auction on ebay beginning at 9 pm eastern, January 19, 2016.

Yellow Cup*

Yellow Cup, 5×7″ pastel on gessoed mat board by Marie Marfia. $60.

Yellow Cup, detail, 5×7″ pastel on gessoed mat board by Marie Marfia. $60.

I am a friend to this yellow cup. I have glued the handle back on it, once, and if it ever breaks again, which it most assuredly will, what doesn’t? then I will have to decide whether to invest in glue and patience one more time or say goodbye to it. I wish it wasn’t yellow.

I bought it in Seagrove, NC, shopping the pottery studios with my sister. I liked the texture of it, the way the handle filled my hand, the not quite perfect O shape of the mouth, how it sat solidly on the surface, secure, steady, not going anywhere.

I liked the pattern on it, leaves going every which way, like crazy, impossible dance steps. I liked the drips in the glaze along the lip, like I’d already dribbled Bailey’s flavored coffee down the sides.

I bought it because all the things I loved about it out-weighed the one thing I didn’t, and I made my decision in a heartbeat. So yes, if it breaks again, which it must, because everything breaks, I will do my best to repair it.

I just wish it wasn’t yellow.

*This piece of writing was done as an exercise from the book, “Writing Down the Bones,” by Natalie Goldberg, which I highly recommend.