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 "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 "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 "Luscious Mangos" from the Cycle of Life Series

"Mango Blossom"  Kiln-Formed Glass Art

"Luscious Mangos" Acrylic on Canvas

"Fallen Mango"  Color Photograph

     "Luscious Mangoes" is a part of my five piece "Cycle of Life Series." The series is comprised of three different media for each piece and chronicles the cycle of life for fruits and flowers. The Emergence pieces are Kiln-Formed Glass Art. Glass is a new medium for me and I chose it for this reason. This  represents the birth or blossom of the fruit or flower.  The Culmination pieces are Acrylic on Canvas. I chose acrylic because painting is and always will be my favorite personal expression.   This is the peak or height of the fruit or flower in all of it's glory.  The Release pieces are color photographs. I chose photography because it is always the final stage for me in documenting my works of art.  It was very exciting for me to observe the organic transformation of these elements- to really be a part of the cycle of life which every living thing - including us- goes through here on our Planet Earth.  There is beauty in every one of these stages, we have only to observe it.

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.

Anita Marci's "Green Mango" Painting

     I could't resist sharing this brand new painting of mine titled "Green Mango" and the story that goes with it. It is mango season on Maui and I have been enjoying watching the beautiful mango blossoms slowly turn into fruit. The mango above, in the photo, caught my eye because of the cast shadows of the leaves on the fruit.  I waited for several days for the wind to calm down, but it never did. Finally, I got my camera out and practiced my patience, while waiting for a quiet moment to get the shot. I was rewarded with this photo which then became the above painting- 29" x 44" acrylic on canvas.  I love the serenity of this painting and of course I love those leaf shadows.  The palette is unusually muted for me but I enjoy the softness of it.  So glad I took the time to get this shot, because the next day the wind had taken the mango and this painting would never have been made if I had not seized the moment when the inspiration hit me.  Carpe Diem!

Anita Marci's "Celebration Integration" Painting

Happy Fourth of July to all!! This has always been a favorite holiday of mine as it marks the real kick off of the summer...so when I was asked by my friends/clients of mine to create a poster for the Lahaina Fireworks I was excited by the prospect.  This painting titled "Celebration Integration" is the result.

I had recently been back east to NYC to the Whitney Museum where I saw Jasper John's "Three Flags" painting. Here he stacks three rectangular canvases of the American Flag. I liked the idea of dimension so I did this with a painted drop shadow. Here in Hawaii we sometimes feel separate because we are not contiguous. My intention for this piece was to unify the two flags and show our state symbolically as a floating flag/island. I was very excited about the piece.

I proceeded with the poster design with the help of my very talented friend Rachel Mallon of Ironwood Design Studio, and we created a beautiful poster for the fireworks. However, when the Maui Chamber of Commerce saw it they became concerned about creating discord among the native Hawaiians here. There is a feeling of not wanting to be a part of the USA by some people. Well, my poster never saw the light of day, but most everyone who has seen the painting has had a favorable reaction.

So here is my controversial painting. It was not my intention to offend anyone. I must say though that I feel a good piece of art should evoke emotion of some kind. So I guess I did my job too well.....this painting is available for purchase in this our 50th anniversary year of statehood.

Anita Marci's "Pohaku Hana" Paintings

These paintings were created from my photos of rocks that I took on a brief trip to Hana- which is on the east coast of Maui. It rains there all the time so being able to shoot a photo is a luxury! I was intrigued by the shapes of the rocks but the lack of color left me flat. I looked to Wolf Kahn who is one of my favorite colorists for some color direction. I like to explore color passages that are in his paintings.

The art is small- only 8" x 10" but I enjoy the feeling of tranquility that I get from them. They were fun to paint and I was surprised and pleased with the outcome. They are available for purchase for a mere $300 each- a steal for an original acrylic on canvas. Let me know if you are interested.