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 "Blue Over Blue" Acrylic on Canvas Painting

    "Blue Over Blue" is a 16" x 20" painting that was created for the Lahaina Poster Show Art Contest.  It was inspired by a friend's photo. I do not usually work from someone else's pictures but I really changed and simplified this one. I love the peacefulness and tranquility of this piece. It shows the boats of Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii's Harbor.  There were some surfers in the foreground but I painted them out. I felt that this painting needed to be about the boats, the ocean, the island,  and the sky.  More and more, in my art I am striving to capture the essence of the elements. Most artist's add detail to their work.  I work at deleting it.   I often ask myself, "How can I tell this story with less information?"  It is a challenge that captivates me.