My Biography

Updating an Old Website

What shall I paint?

Last summer I offered up a little prayer asking for inspiration for ideas on subjects to paint.  The next thing I knew one of my artist friends was showing me her lovely bright colored watercolor rooster.  I have never painted a rooster before but I thought "it might be fun".  Several weeks later I saw a book at Home Depot  on "How to Raise Chickens".  While thumbing through the book I saw several roosters.  This lead me to a purchase, and after returning home my first sketch of a rooster was done.  It took me several tries before my proportions were right, then I was one to color and background.  Each new painting got better and better.  From there I went to humming birds and even a falcon.  My last bird painting was a quail. I don't know if birds are out of my system but I sure did have a good time.  

The interesting thing is that the first painting I worked on last summer were two parrots.  I let it drop and worked on several landscapes before offering up my little prayer.  

I guess the message here is "go with the flow and your inner feelings".

I've also posted other new paintings on my new website.

It's good to be flexible!

If you are flexible, life seems easier to take and sometimes there are nice surprises. My husband and I had planned to spend Thanksgiving in Sedona, Arizona. But because there were no parking spaces close to town for our RV, we postponed our trip for a week, when you are retired you can do that, and we ended up being at home in Arizona for the holidays. Our neighbors down the street, Wayne and Barbara, were very kind and invited us over for a wonderful Thanksgiving Dinner. The food was great and we enjoyed meeting two other couples from the area. Even thought we were away from our 3 children, 6 grand kids, and 1 great granddaughter we have much to be thankful for. We spent time with some really nice people over the holidays.

Spring in the Desert

Here in Yuma the temperature is rising (80/90 degrees most days) and most of the snow birds have packed up and flown home.  With the warmer weather most the cacti are in bloom and putting on quite a show - soon the saguaro will also be in bloom.  With the arrival of summer a more relaxed atmosphere envelopes the streets and neighborhoods of this area - fewer cars and fewer people.

This past Saturday, April 17th the 3rd annual "ARTbeat street festival was held on Main street in downtown Yuma.  Despite the time of year there were lots of people enjoying the beautiful weather and checking out the 30 some booths and artistic creations of some 60 artists participating in this one day street festival put on by the City of Yuma Arts and Culture Commission.

The City of Yuma honored me by purchasing one of my framed watercolor paintings (view painting below)  for the City of Yuma's Permanent Art Collection.  It was a fun and successful activity for most of the vendors and we look forward to next years ARTbeat on Main Street.

My Latest Commissioned Painting

As an avid artist, I relish the opportunity and challenge of doing a commissioned painting. I love the collaborative and creative process that occurs between myself, the artist, and my client. During the interview process I enjoy helping my client determine many other items other than just selecting a subject to paint. Items to consider are size, paint media (ie. watercolor, acrylic, or coffee), colors, matting, framing, time frame in which the painting is to be completed, and of course last but not least, cost.

To enquire about commissioning a painting please contact me at

marenscreations@gmail.com

My Website is now open!

I am extremely happy to announce that my new website is now up and running. My husband and I worked very hard to put this website together and I am excited about having the opportunity to display my Watercolor Paintings and Acrylic Paintings. I also offer a small selection of Fine Art Prints and will soon be able to offer a varied selection of Greeting Cards made from My Original Works of Art. Please take the time to view My Website at:

Maren's Creations Gallery

It's been fun working on my Website & my Blog!