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 "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.