End of the year online show!

Picture this: A virtual online exhibit showcasing eclectic, imaginative artworks! Sounds like a pretty great event, right? 💯But what if I told you that I was able to be a part of something really cool like this? It’s true! The @GristleartGallery has invited me to be a part of Toy Box, their end of the year online show. I’m in creation mode for the event that kicks off on November 20th. I’m working on 3 – 6” x 6’ collectors canvases. Life is good, don’t you agree?

And now they’re all done! Yay! Who doesn’t want skeleton Christmas paintings? No one, that’s who! Hope you like them! See below for info about pre-show sales.

UPDATE: All my Skel Noel paintings have now been sold! Thank you to my collectors for all your support! Happy Holidays, everyone!

Dashing thru the Snow, acrylic on canvas, 6×6″, sold.

From Our Crypt to Yours, acrylic on canvas, 6×6″, sold.

Joyous X-mas, acrylic on canvas, 6×6″, sold.

I am so thrilled to be a part of the Toy Box show!

Special pre-show sales available

Gristle Art Gallery’s Toy Box show is open to the public starting on Saturday, November 20, 2021 at 12 noon EST, but you can purchase in advance by contacting Gristle Art Gallery starting Monday, November 15, 2021! To get first dibs on any of the artwork featured in Toy Box, send an email to gallery@gristletattoo.com or visit Gristle Art Gallery online at https://www.gristleartgallery.com .

First in a series of 3 pieces for Gristle Gallery’s end of the year show, Toy Box!

It was fun to find old fashioned Christmas greetings to skeletonize for this show! I enjoyed painting every one of them. I hope you like them as much as I do.

By the way, there will be a card featuring one of these Skel Noels coming to your mailbox soon. If you’re not on my snail mail list yet, now’s a good time to fix that!

Sign up for my Marie Marfia Fine Art newsletter! You’ll get regular updates about my latest work in the studio plus insights into my process. Plus, get a free downloadable print just for signing up!

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. Please contact me directly about purchasing original artwork. Thanks!

Holiday Open House!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

Could you use a little help with your Christmas shopping this year? You’re in luck, I have just the thing!

It’s my “Holiday Open House” at the one and only Marie Marfia She Shed! 🎄🎅🎄It’s all happening on Small Business Saturday, November 27 from 1 to 5 pm. 2858 N Sherman Rd Ludington, MI

I’ve been working hard to create unique one of a kind pieces, cards, stickers and more! It’s perfect for people who love landscape art, skellies & monsters.

Seeing the Light, WIP, pastel on sanded paper, 20×16″.

We all have a lot on our plates, that’s why I’m here to help make shopping for those on your list easier!

Also, cookies! Hot cocoa!

UPDATE: Thank you so much to everyone who came out in the snow and cold to tour my studio space. It was lovely to see your smiling faces. I’m so grateful for your support! Let’s do it again, soon! (But maybe wait until it warms up again…)

Inktober 2021

I am participating in Inktober 2021 this year. I’ll post my daily black and white drawings, sketches, and studies here. Enjoy!

Taking a breather

Steve and I took a trip to the UP at the beginning of September, just for a couple of days. We wanted to get away because it’s been a busy summer and sometimes you need to take a step back and breathe for a minute. He has a friend from back in his high school days who owns a little place with her husband called the Handshake Motel. She also makes quilts, among lots of other things. She’s a creative soul up there in the wilderness and a font of local knowledge.

We visited some tourist-y places like Lakenenland and Oswald’s Bear Ranch and we spent an afternoon collecting rocks at the Vermilion Point Nature Preserve on the Lake Superior shoreline, plus a couple of hours on the Tyoga Trail, collecting mushrooms and learning about lumberjacks.

We ate pasties from Miners Pasty Kitchen, because it’s required by law when you go to the UP. Also, they’re delicious. And we got some very tasty fried whitefish from Brown Fisheries in Paradise.

I took a lot of pictures and did some watercolor sketches and there are some pastels in the works, of course. I’ll post those as and when I finish them. But for now, here are some of the photos from the trip. I try not to question why I want a particular picture. Sometimes I’m not completely sure. I just take the shot and trust I’ll figure it out later.

My favorite night was spent sitting around a neighbor’s fire pit, watching flying squirrels. I didn’t get a picture, but I can still see them in my head, gliding from perch to perch, like tiny sheets, lit by porch light and snapping in the wind.

Trunk show coming up in October

I and my skellies will be at “A Walk in the Woods,” pop-up art show in Grand Haven on Sunday, October 10, 2021. Rain date is Sunday, October 17.

This is going to be a fun show! I will bring all my skeleton prints, cards and stickers, plus one original (see below) and I hope to see a lot of people coming out to browse the trunks.

Frida Skelly with Monkeys all dressed up for the show!

I spent a morning figuring out how to use my Ford Focus to best advantage for this show. I especially loved making an ofrenda for Frida Skelly using some battery operated candles and lights under the hatchback. I wonder what kind of foods she might like? Bonbons, of course! I plan to add some more things to her altar to make a fitting tribute to her life and work.

Bonus! I will be giving away a Frida Skelly with Monkeys print at the show to some lucky person who fills out an entry for the drawing. I will also be drawing a random name from my subscriber list for the same prize, so keep an eye on your inbox for an announcement of the winners.

The show will go from 1 until 4 pm, and there will be lots of other artists participating, so please come if you can and show your support! Here’s some more info about Duncan Woods Park.

UPDATE

What a great time! I met a lot of new skelly art fans and sold some stuff! Also, congratulations to Kylee on winning the Frida Skelly with Monkeys print that was on display. Check your email Kylee! Plus, if you’re already a subscriber to my email list you may have won the exact same signed print, so look in your inbox for an email from me.

Thanks everyone for supporting me and my art! You’re the best.

Latest daily paintings

Making an effort to do more daily paintings. Here are a few of the latest time lapses.

Those Clouds Look Interesting, soft pastel on sanded paper, 12×12″.

This one is inspired by a drive back from the Ludington State Park where we’d dropped off our camper for some friends of ours to use. I said something like, “Those clouds look interesting,” and Steve promptly pulled over so I could get some pictures. Next day I pulled them up on my computer and made a painting.

Old Bent Gate study, soft pastel on sanded paper, 5×7″.

I based this on a scene right outside my door, practically. Along the ditch that forms a boundary on our property is one of those metal gates that don’t really block anything. It’s a little bent and sort of just hangs there, unconnected to anything. I noticed how the sun was lighting up the bracken behind it, and the dark trees just behind the bracken. Honestly, the golden morning light fascinates me. Anyway, I took a picture of this scene to paint later. I’m glad I did, because yesterday when I walked past it again with the dogs, all the color had vanished, leaving drab browns in its place. Lesson to me: if something makes you look twice, take the picture! It’ll never be like that again.

Between the Dunes study, soft pastel on sanded paper, 5×7″.

One of the last times Steve and I went to the beach for a swim this year, I took pictures of the space between the dunes. This painting is all about the low hills just behind the beach and then the higher, older dunes beyond that. I love the grass, the way the wind blows it every which way, the colors of it in the lates sun. I could paint this every day I feel and never get tired of it, never run out of things to say.

Skelly art store is open

Hey there. I just wanted to let you know that I’ve been busy putting a new square store together for my skeleton art. Here’s the url: https://mariemarfia.square.site

I’m still refining it a bit, but here’s the best news:

Get 20% off everything from September 20 through October 20, 2021. Use the coupon code “TAKEOFF20” to get your discount at checkout.

This is a great time to freshen up your existing Halloween or Day of the Dead decor or if you’re new to my skellies, start a new tradition!

New this year are stickers! Hand them out to your favorite trick or treaters, decorate trapper keepers. Fair warning though, once you start, you won’t be able to stop! They’re insidious!

I’m shipping everything via United States Postal Service and orders will ship within 3 business days. Large prints go 3-Day Priority Mail. Everything else is 1st class.

Check out the new online store and let me know what you think. If you see anything that’s missing, give me a shout and I’ll put it on there before the sale starts.

Thanks again for your support!

Fundraiser is Saturday

I have three small 8×8″ acrylic paintings available to buy in the Ludington Area Center for the Arts center Grab and Go fundraiser. Each is available for purchase starting at 10 am this Saturday, September 4, 2021.

From their newsletter: “…you’re invited to join us on Saturday starting at 10 a.m. for our 2nd annual Grab & Go Fundraiser… The Grab & Go is back this year with the theme of “Grab a Piece of Ludington.” Each 8×8 canvas artwork is available for only $35 on a first come-first serve basis. All proceeds go to LACA, thanks to the time and talent of local artists.”

Artwork will be available for viewing in person Friday, September 3 at 11:00 am.

Here are the three I donated to the cause:

Marie Marfia, Trash Pickin', acrylic on canvas, 8 in x 8 in — Trash Pickin’, acrylic on canvas, 8 in x 8 in

Marie Marfia, Been There Done That Bought the Sweatshirt, acrylic on canvas, 8 in x 8 in. — Been There, Done That, Bought the Sweatshirt, acrylic on canvas, 8 in x 8 in.

Marie Marfia, Morning Sam, Morning Ralph, acrylic on canvas, 8 in x 8 in. — Morning Sam, Morning Ralph, acrylic on canvas, 8 in x 8 in.

And here’s a timelapse of the second pass on “Morning Sam, Morning Ralph.”

Time lapse of the second pass on “Morning Sam, Morning Ralph.”

I tried to fulfill the requirements implied for a fundraiser with the theme of “Grab a Piece of Ludington,” without being too traditional. I played around with the naming and/or the composition for all three. I wanted Ludington landmarks but I wanted humor in there somewhere, because that’s just who I am. I like to laugh. A lot. Sometimes I’m the only one who gets the joke, but that’s okay, too.

Trash Pickin’ is all about the seagulls. I relate to them because I’m a trash picker, too. Ever hopeful that what I bring home from a thrift store or estate or yard sale is going to be useful for a future project, that’s me. I may end up throwing it right back out again in six months, but in the moment I am optimistic as hell.

Been There, Done That, Bought the Sweatshirt reminds me of a time when I and some fellow Rotarians brought visitors from Thailand to the Big Sable Point lighthouse and they asked whether the prices of the sweatshirts in the gift shop were reasonable. I opened my big mouth and told them, “If you want clothing that says “Ludington” on it, Goodwill has a lot of it and it’s a whole lot cheaper.” I understand that shortly after their thrift store experience the group learned about garage sales next and then insisted on stopping at every one of them on their way up to visit the Traverse City Rotary Club. A good time was had by all, and they got some really good deals to take home from their visit besides. A win-win.

For Morning Sam, Morning Ralph, I was nearly done with it when I realized the juxtaposition of the carferry and the barge in the composition reminded me of a Looney Tunes cartoon about Sam the Sheepdog and Ralph the Coyote. Remember them? How they punched in and out of a time clock before getting on with their daily work routines, Ralph trying to steal a sheep, and Sam trying to deter Ralph from a life of crime? Do they make cartoons like that anymore? Should they? Who’s they, anyhow?

Here’s all of the art available:

I got a picture of all 72 canvases (holy cow!) at the Member Show opening last night. Can you find my three?

You have to go in person to purchase, or possibly you could call LACA 231-845-2787 and tell them over the phone which canvases you’d like. But best to be safe and get yours in person. There might be a scrum! Wouldn’t that be cool?

UPDATE: All three of my small paintings have sold! Thanks to whoever it was that helped raise money for LACA. I appreciate your generosity! There are still more pieces available to purchase. Grab a piece of Ludington today!

Grab N Go fundraiser paintings for purchase — Grab N Go fundraiser paintings still available for purchase

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

Congratulations to Hannah on winning a signed, matted print of Neverending Love Story! Luckily for me, Hannah works in downtown Ludington, so I was able to bring her prize to her right away! She’s very happy to have won!

Congratulations also to a certain subscriber on my email list who also won the same signed print! Please check your inbox for a note from me asap. It’s my way of saying thank you to those who are with me on my art journey. You’re all the best!

Me and Hannah and Neverending Love Story, together at last!

Ludington Gold Coast Artisan Fair

I’m showing my skeleton art at the Ludington Gold Coast Artisan Fair on August 14-15, 2021 in Rotary Park, Ludington, Michigan. I hope you can come!

The Ludington Gold Coast Artisan Fair is a fun event, drawing more than 170 vendors showing everything from lawn art to original drawings to household crafts. A lot of the booths feature local artisans. It’s a great way to purchase unique hand-crafted items for holidays, anniversaries and birthdays!

About Ludington

If you have never been to Ludington, it is worth the trip! Ludington is a beautiful resort town with a deep water harbor on the shores of Lake Michigan. There are beaches galore here, plus lots of choices for dining, shopping and stuff to do outdoors, including the Ludington State Park with its miles of hiking, biking and canoe trails, and beautiful beaches!

Print giveaway

Stop by my booth and enter the drawing for an 11×14″ framed and matted print of Neverending Love Story! You don’t have to buy anything to enter, but you can sign up for my Bone Appetit newsletter at the same time if you like.

The details

What: Gold Coast Artisan Fair
Where: Booth C-26 (Court Street), Rotary Park, downtown Ludington, Michigan
When: Saturday, August 14, 10 am-5 pm and Sunday, August 15, 10 am-4 pm