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 "Matisse's Makai"

     This cut paper painting is titled "Matisse's Makai."  It was made for my collector's daughter's bedroom. Unbeknownst to me, a Matisse exhibit was their very first art experience as Mother and Daughter. I love when a wonderful synchronicity like that happens.  It makes the art so much more meaningful to the collectors. 

     I have always been a big fan of Henri Matisse. I adore his color and I am particularly excited by the cut-outs from his later years.  I did my research on these cut-outs, and found that the artist had assistants paint large sheets of colors that he had mixed.  He then, cut his shapes, for his art, with a scissors.  I love the child-like quality of his shapes, and it was my intention to capture that in my work.  

    This bedroom faces the Pacific Ocean in West Maui.  Makai is the Hawaiian word for Ocean.  This piece is inspired by Matisse's "La Piscine," which is french for swimming pool.  I transformed the swimming pool into an ocean by bringing  in sea elements such as sea weed, starfish and fish.  There is also a whale tale at the top. I enjoy the way the shadow trails off the tale, like a splash of light instead of water. 

     In much of my art,  I consciously add a male and female element in some form or other. I like the balance of the yin and yang.  So, notice the male figure on the left and the female figure on the right.  I then commissioned a custom plexi-glass case to protect the art, which is not shown here. I also enjoy the large denim pillows and their texture next to the painted paper.  A very fun piece, don't you think so!

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 "Twenty-fifth Anniversary" Painting

     This painting is titled "25th Anniversary."  I created this symbolic painting as a gift for my very best and most enthusiastic collectors.  Katherine and Christopher Berman.  I wanted to make something that would commemorate their twenty-fifth Wedding Anniversary.  The painting is meant to be read from the upper right corner to the lower right corner (counterclockwise).  It begins with the sun and the moon. I chose these symbols to represent male (sun) energy and female (moon) energy, which is the very foundation of the union. Next, the overlapping hearts represent the love energy between the couple.  The interlocking golden rings stand for the commitment energy it takes to make a marriage endure.  Last of all, The actual achievement energy of the twenty-five years.  Their wedding date is written below the 25 in the lower right corner.  Their full names are written vertically and horizontally in the center channels and they intersect in the center. Katherine and Christopher were very surprised and happy to receive this gift from my heart.  Their thirtieth anniversary will be this year. I am already thinking of ideas for that painting!

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!!!