Anita Marci's "Peach Hibiscus" Painting

     This is a 22" x 28" Acrylic on Canvas painting. I took the photo for this on my very first trip to Maui and I waited ten years to paint it. I did a little paint brush magic on this flower so you will never actually see a hibiscus like this one.  I was so taken by that cast shadow from the center. I just love the bright complimentary colors in this piece!!

Anita Marci's "Happy Mangoes" Painting

     This is a 24" x 36" Acrylic on Canvas.  I received these mangoes from a friend. They were from the tree near my condo. I love mango season. It is so much fun to watch the mango blossoms grow into tiny green balls which eventually ripen and turn into delicious colorful fruit.

     The scarf they are sitting on is a favorite Gucci of mine that I bought in NY.  I shot a series of fruits and veggies on this scarf.  The only other one I have painted is called "Happy Bananas." That painting won a first place American Art Award in 2013 in the Impressionism Still Life Category!!!

Anita Marci's "Lipstick" Paintings

    These paintings were made for the 2014 Art Expo New York Show. They are  9" x 12".  Before making this collection, I reflected back on my twenty years in NYC as a commercial artist.  I was in my early twenties when I moved there. Fresh out of college and full of hopes and dreams.  I remember how I felt when I moved there from Pennsylvania where I grew up.  I was surely a stranger in a strange land. Fortunately for me, my new boss took me under her wing and guided me on the fashion etiquette of NYC. Rule number one-- a lady never goes out with out her lipstick!!  

     I was so pleased to see a father buy these for his beautiful young daughter to begin her art collection with the purchase of all four of these paintings.  Also happy they will stay together. I was kind of hoping they would.  Sister paintings and all that good stuff!!

Anita Marci's "Banana Lime" Painting

     This painting begins with a gift from a friend.  I received some freshly picked Bananas and Limes. I placed them on my white kitchen counter and was attracted to the combination of yellows, greens and yellow-greens.  I grabbed my camera and began to shoot. I kept getting closer and closer until I took this final shot. I love the abstract quality of this piece!!!

Anita Marci's "White Rose" Painting

     There is a good story here. I took the photo for this painting about ten years before I painted it, I made a study and presented it to a collector as a concept painting.  It was declined, so I put it away for a future date. I took the study out to make the painting seven years later.

     This painting was made for the Art Expo New York show. I thought the fresh crisp quality of a white Summer Rose would be appealing in the cold damp April weather.  And so the story goes that the original flower was a red hibiscus that turned into a white hibiscus and then became a white rose. Ahhh, the magic of  the paintbrush!!!

Anita Marci's "Color Burst Clouds" Painting

     This painting is 24" x 24" and is titled "Color Burst Clouds."  It was painted from a photo I took of a fab Maui sunset.  I was so pleased when I posted this on FB and a HS friend who is now a meteorologist made a comment about the "anvil" formation and the poof (my word) in the upper left corner that indicated that this must have brought on quite a storm. Yes, he was correct. I knew the moment I took this shot that I would make this painting.  The photo already looked like a painting of mine. My vision was clear.

Anita Marci's "Nevada Skies" Painting

     This painting is titled Nevada Skies and is 24" x 36" Acrylic on Canvas.  This photo was taken on a road trip from LA to Vegas. I was a Vegas Virgin and was so excited for my first visit to Sin City. I had no idea the journey to get there would be so inspirational.  I took many photos on the drive but this is the only one I have painted so far.  I enjoyed the creativity of the themed hotels there. It was quite a bit more intense energy than I am used to here on Maui, but I did enjoy it.

Anita Marci's "Pink Tulip" and "Orange Tulip" Paintings

     These paintings are 24" x 36" and they were created especially for the Art Expo NY 2014.  It was early Spring in NY after a particularly devastating Winter.  I am so grateful to have spent my Winter on Maui. After 42 years of harsh Winters on the East Coast I do not miss the snow, but I can surely relate to the difficulty of the weather there.  I decided to make these tulip paintings because I recall my pure joy at seeing the first flowers peak through the hard, cold, earth in Spring. They always bring renewed hope for the Sun's return and the promise of Summer.

Anita Marci's "Red Candies" Painting Triptych

   

     This triptych was painted in honor of my late father who passed on in June of 2012.  It is composed of three 24" x 24" acrylic on stretched canvases.  The idea for this painting came to me in a dream. I awoke in the middle of the night so I could remember the dream in which I was painting hard candies.  When I woke up in the morning, I recalled the dream and had the distinct feeling that the idea was from my father who had somehow managed to communicate with me in the dream state.  I did my research and found some photos and paintings of candies. I did my studies and then immediately did the paintings.

     At the time, I was working on a new collection of art to take to the Art Expo NY in April 2014.  It was a dream that I had for thirty years. My whole family came to NY to see me and support my art. It was a wonderful and warm celebration that I will cherish and hold in my heart forever. Everyone of importance from my life- going all the way back to second grade-was there for me. They all traveled and stayed at the same hotel and celebrated my dream with me.  My Father was there too-- in the spirit of his paintings.  It was an amazing weekend!!!

Anita Marci's "My Papaya" Painting

    This painting was inspired by a gift from a friend. It is titled "My Papaya" and is 24" x 36" Acrylic on Canvas. I received my papaya quite unexpectedly. I am ashamed to say that even after ten years on  a tropical island I hadn't tasted the fruit and wasn't even sure if I liked it or not.  I cut it open and was immediately captivated by it's beautiful colors. The rich deep orange and the contrasting chocolate brown seeds were incredible.  I ran to get my camera and began to shoot. As I was shooting I began to become very interested in the seeds. They had such a unique shape to them and I knew I had to make them the main character of my story.

     Lately, I have been viewing my painting expressions as short stories.  I select my main character and then my supporting characters based on what I find most compelling.  I then proceed to direct the viewer through my narrative of color and form.

     So, the seeds were the story. I began to take them out of the fruit and I made a trail of them. I wanted to highlight the seeds even further by adding a cast shadow.  I had as much fun designing the composition and shooting it as I did painting it.  I added the peach background for color harmony. This is one of my faves!!!

Anita Marci's "Sunset Mountain" Painting

Sunset Mountain Painting

Photo reference for Sunset Mountain

     This the the "Sunset Mountain" Painting- 8"x 12".  This painting was made to be a donation for a worthy cause championed by my collectors Katherine and Christopher Berman (of ESPN TV).  Every year they host a benefit dinner and auction for Literacy Volunteers of Greater Waterbury (CT).  This program helps people of all ages learn to read. Reading happens to be one of my favorite past times and I cannot imagine not being able to read so I  agreed to make this donation painting.  It looks so clean and simple when I look at it. This was another challenging piece that required three studies before I got it right.  I kept on editing, removing colors and forms.  I even made several adjustments on the final painting- which rarely ever happens.  I was happy to hear that a dear friend of Katherine's bought this painting.  I knew Karen had been wanting a smaller piece of mine and so she got her wish!  

Anita Marci's "Lyrical Leaves I and II" Paintings

  

  

Pillow Case Fabric Reference

     These paintings are titled "Lyrical Leaves I and II" and they are three feet wide by five feet high.  This was a very exciting and challenging commission.  I was given a fabric swatch (see above) to work with. Well, actually it was a pillow case. The client selected the two original studies painted with a monochromatic (single color) palette of green.  My challenge was to redesign the color palette for the art and make it work with the bedding.  The room was huge and as you can see there was a very large flat screen TV to contend with.  The paintings had to be large enough to accommodate the wall and the TV.

      I set to the work of redoing the art.  It sure was a challenge. Sometimes the art just falls out of me as smooth as could be and other times, I must repaint the art several times. These paintings required three additional studies before I felt I had achieved the goal.  I never settle. No matter what. This is a rule I adopted for myself and my art many moons ago.  Believe me, there are many times when I want to settle, but I always dig deeper inside of me until there is that little twinge I get in my gut that tells me that I am there.

     One of the reasons I feel that I am so successful, is the ability to determine when a painting is good, bad or just unfinished.  Many artists struggle with this determination. Lucky for me, I have a great gut instinct to rely on. I am very grateful for this gift.

     So, then I went to show the client the finished studies. He said the words I strive to always hear: "You nailed it- they are perfect!!"

     We settled on a price and a delivery schedule and off I went to paint the big paintings.  That's when the real fun started.  First of all the color mixes were difficult. The more colors there are in a mix the more difficult it is.  These were very complicated mixes. I persevered and got them all mixed. It is also challenging to gauge the amount of paint to mix. Well, I kept running out of paint. The canvas was a little different then I was used to and the paint seemed to be sucked right into the fabric. By some miracle I finished the pieces, had them stretched and then delivered them.  So very happy to complete this project. Another happy customer!!

Anita Marci's "New Born Day" Painting

     This painting is titled "New Born Day."  It was made to coordinate with my above cut paper piece titled "Matisse's Makai."  I will blog about that on another post as it has it's very own story.  I woke up very early one day and I looked out my window at the beautiful and inspiring West Maui Mountains.  Well, the sun was just starting to peak out from behind the mountains. I ran for my camera and captured the moment.  The photo became this painting.  I adjusted the golds to match the Matisse art. I was so pleased to see how well they look together.  I love the contrast of the soft clouds and the hard cut edges of the paper.  I also enjoy the concept of presenting the sea and sky together in different media.

Anita Marci's "Icy Iris" Painting

     This is the "Icy Iris" painting. It is 30" x 24" Acrylic on Stretched Canvas.  This is the first of the next four that was painted.  I was approached by a colleague to decorate her showroom in Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii. She has a beautiful materials showroom to showcase my art. Well, being a commission artist I do not have a lot of inventory, so I had to make some paintings and these are the new paintings.  Enjoy!

Anita Marci's "Heliconia Flower" Painting

     This painting is 16" x 12" Acrylic on Canvas and is titled "Heliconia Flower."  It was painted at the same time as "Banana Flower."  This again, is a very clean and simplistic piece.  Only five colors are in this piece. I usually use at least six or seven.  I enjoy the boldness of this art.

Anita Marci's "Violet Iris" Painting

    This painting is 30" x 24" and is titled "Violet Iris."  It has the distinction of being one of the few paintings that painted itself. Usually I have a vision for the piece before I begin.  I complete a study and work out the details of the art.  I did that with this, but when it came time to paint the final, everything started to change. As usual, in my editing practice, I start to ask myself if I really need that color?? Then, I proceed to form. I question every element. Do I really need that shape??

     Well, somehow this painting took on a life of it's own and when it was done I was surprised at how bold and almost masculine the art had become. This was painted right after the" Icy Iris" which is so very feminine.  I tend to try to keep a balance of male and female energy in my art.  This painting feels almost regal to me. I really enjoy the rich purples against the deep black.

Anita Marci's "Banana Flower" Painting

     This is a brand new 16" x 12" Acrylic on Canvas Painting titled "Banana Flower."  I took the photo for this painting on my very first trip to Maui in 2002.  It was taken the old fashioned way with film so I can not show the photo here.  Sometimes I will wait for many years before I use a photo to make a painting.  My vision is consistent, so this is not an issue.  Recently, I made four new paintings and they were all made from photos from 2001-2002.

     I love the simplicity of this piece.  More and more I am focusing on the editing of my art. I was recently re-inspired by some Alex Katz art.  He is best known for his portraits, but he has painted many flowers and landscapes that I really enjoy. His editing is very profound and although these paintings look simple, getting to this point is the challenge.

     The newest element in this art is to incorporate a black background. I always mix my colors and never use them out of the tube. Each black is a little bit different- as it depends how the color is mixed.  I find the the black to be a dramatic and striking backdrop for the main character which is the banana flower. Enjoy!

Anita Marci's Painting "Fran's Ocean"

     This is actually a new work titled "Fran's Ocean."  It was an interesting design challenge to create a piece that worked with all of the fabrics Fran had chosen.  The couch fabric is shown on top of the two pillows here.  I initially wanted to play with the starfish motif,  but it ended up being too busy.  I felt the soft quiet monochromatic(single color) aqua approach was best. The final size is 30" x 40" which is fairly large-a medium size painting for me.  This was one of the smooth paintings. After I got past the starfish idea this just fell right out of me.  When Fran saw it she exclaimed,  "You nailed it!  It is perfect!"  I completed the final piece and went with Fran to select a frame. We both loved the silver wooden frame we selected. Then, we went in search of new lamps.  We were both very happy with the end result pictured here.  A brand new living room. What a fun project!!!

Anita Marci's "Backyard Beach" Painting

     "Backyard Beach" is one of my favorite paintings.  It is special to me because it truly is my very own backyard beach in West Maui.  I make it a point to sit down there every Sunday to enjoy the fabulous view and weather that is the best thing about my home.  Every day is different as the clouds dance over our neighbor islands.  I took this photo on a Sunday morning when the ocean had just washed the sand in and covered the reef so that I was able to capture the cast shadow of the palm tree on the wet sand. Usually this is exposed reef and the shadow is hard to see.  I am so glad I ran upstairs to get my camera to take the shot that became this painting.

Anita Marci's "Five Sunsets"

     "Five Sunsets" is an unusual piece because it started out as a technical exploration.  I had just purchased some acrylic blending gel medium. It is very difficult to get a smooth blend with acrylic paint because it dries so quickly. So, I decided to explore this extender- which extends the open time of the paint.  I was quite delighted with the results. I had lots of my own Maui sunset photos so, I just kept on painting.  I ended up keeping one that was much softer - kind of pink, lavender and baby blue-for my own collection.  These five seemed to want to be together.  I especially enjoy them emerging out of the dark background, like a night sky.  Of course, they are also reminders of the way our Maui days end  so very beautifully here each evening.