An Artist's Journal:Paintings by Felicia Marshall

  11x14 in acrylic on hardboard This painting is part of my ongoing Little Miss series.  Each piece in this collection has been a joy to create, and this particular painting was no exception. As I worked on this piece, I found myself tempted to ground the figure with a shadow in the background to anchor her. However, as the painting evolved, I came to appreciate the light and airy quality that emerged. The result is a sense of weightlessness and whimsy that I absolutely love. Sometimes, the things we resist the most grow into unexpected favorites. My relationship with the color orange is a perfect example of that transformation.   For twenty years, I worked at a school where orange was the school’s spirit color. I wore it often, but never quite embraced it, at least at first. I used to joke that I felt like a giant pumpkin in my orange spirit shirt and jacket. I even recall a moment at the movies when an usher waved me back in without a ticket, saying he remembered...

  11x14 in acrylic on hardboard The original Turtle Eyes has always held a special place in my heart. Instead of trying to clean up all the little imperfections in the first version, I decided to repaint it entirely.   I used to be a messy painter. I think it was because my goals were different ten years ago.   Now, I know that if I don’t keep it clean, I’ll have to edit it out afterwards and I have NOT mastered Photoshop…yet. The experience turned out to be incredibly rewarding. It helped me reconnect with my old self, bringing back cherished memories of Zora and our family pool parties, and how much I loved painting the big, bold portraits that break through the space of the hardboard panel.   It all just reminds me of a perfect summer day. After completing the first version of this piece, I developed a habit of collecting animal-shaped goggles, inspired by the painting. You can see some of them in my older paintings.

11x14 in acrylic on hardboard I love pattern! I was immediately drawn in by the polka dots on the little girl’s dress. Before I retired from teaching, I would often remind my students that, just because something looks simple didn’t mean it will be easy. I myself relearned this lesson with this painting. Polka dots are simple enough but making them interesting is the hard part. When painting the polka dots, I had to make the ones on her dress more dynamic than those in the background to avoid a flat painting. It was a painstaking process, but in the end, the effort was well worth it. This piece also taught me patience. I originally started with a much larger version of this painting on stretched canvas, which I was eager to dive into. However, after five days of repainting the face for what felt like the hundredth time, I started questioning my own sanity. I’m not one to give up, but this one nearly broke me. Realizing I needed a new approach, I took a step back. I hadn’t painted in a ...

11x14 in acrylic on hardboard What little girl doesn’t love trying on adorable dresses?   This was the inspiration for my first painting in my Little Miss series. Lately, I’ve been experimenting with brighter colors, inspired by the bold palettes of artists I admire. Yellow, in particular, is a tricky color—it’s incredibly light, applies thinly, and can be challenging to create shades effectively. Navy blue, on the other hand, has always intrigued me, yet I often struggle to incorporate it because I’m always unsure of what color compliment it. I’ve finally found the answer, it’s golden yellow and white! SOLD

11" x 14" acrylic on hardboard One more portrait with glasses.  I absolutely love painting these portraits, and making people smile as many of your comments and emails indicate.  This is Zora again.  She is just as bubbly and enthusiastic as the portraits I paint of her.  Lucky for me she's never met a camera she didn't love.  I learned a lot about hair with this painting.  I always taught to hint at hair and not try to draw in every single string.  I know, easier said than done.  Don't get me wrong, I am just as amazed by those artists that literally paint in every string.  But who has that much time and patience?  The more extraordinary artists make this look easy.  Hair in three brush strokes.  Magic, is the only way I can describe it. I am not there yet, but I got a little closer with this painting.

8”x 10” acrylic on hardboard This is a little gem that I just finished specifically for my portfolio.  I wanted to illustrate an image of children reading books.  It was so cute, this little girl insisted that I paint her holding her own books and not my daughter’s.  She had just began reading chapter books and was so proud.  Lucky for me her books were in the car and she was more than happy to run out to get them. 

9”x 14” acrylic on hardboard This is a painting from a very long ago birthday party.  Three little girls pose for a group picture, each in a different mindset. SOLD

9”x 14” acrylic on hardboard This is Zora in the last of the black and white dotted dress paintings.  I finally really do have this one out of my system.  I was attracted to the light on the surface of the dress.  I love the way the light falling across her arms and hands create the visual effect of gloves. ($150)

11”x 11” acrylic on hardboard In this painting, I was playing around with light reflecting threw and on objects.  Those that have followed my work for a while are familiar with the figure and the black and red polka dot dress she is wearing.        

11”x 14” acrylic on hardboard This is a painting of the year we brought in the new year with fireworks.  I completed this painting on this New Years night.  I found this appropriate because it is a painting of a New Year from about five years ago.  I hadn’t realized it until I finished.  Maybe it was my subconscious in control of my actions.  That year we were visiting an old friend from high school.  Our visit ended with fireworks.  This was great because, I hadn’t played with fireworks since I was a kid.  We’ve always lived in the city limits so, our kids had never really played with fireworks, so it was really a treat for them.  I thought about painting shoes on the little girl, I mean only a kid would wear flip flops with a sweater right?

8"x 10" acrylic on hardboard I'm not sure why it took me so long to understand this, but I have just now come to realize, that what is being reflected in a pair of glasses, is as important and interesting as the person wearing them.  Wow, talk about overlooking the obvious!  We have two sitting rooms in our house most people call theirs the den and living room.  Our kids never quite understood that, so our rooms are referred to as the quiet room, which is quiet until I actually sit in it.  Once my kids notice me there it quickly fills with kids and turns into the not so quiet room.  The other room is the tv room.  This room has a great set of windows that gets the most amazing afternoon light all year round.  Even in the winter, as the sun sets low, the light passes through the trees outside and casts the most interesting highlights and shadows on objects in that room as it did this day with Zora and her new blue glasses.

8 x 10 acrylic on hardboard This is the first painting that I actually started and completed in one sitting.  Usually I work on several paintings at one time over several days or a week.  I started on the face, which didn't give me too many problems.  The painting surprisingly didn't come to life until I painted in the glasses.  I asked my kids to help me with the title.  After several suggestions I pulled together the one you see here, "Sunshine on Hope".  I hope it works.

8 x 10 acrylic on hardboard I am still working on portraits and light.  I finally got tired of mixing this specific pinkish rosy color every time  I had to use it, which was often.  It never occurred to me that I could just premix an entire bottle or tube of the color.   That was until I read an article that had a painter describing her process.  She mixed some of her own colors so that they would be ready and waiting for her to use. "Duh! how brilliant, simple, and efficient." I went out and purchased some empty paint tubes.  I was shocked that they make these.  "Empty paint tubes!...duh!  It's my new favorite thing. SOLD

8 x 10 acrylic on hardboard I'm really working hard with trying different colors in my palate. I naturally would've painted the little girl's shirt a light brown, maybe a brownish yellow, or a calming blue.  Here you can see, I chose green. It went well with the scenery in which she sits. I'm taking baby steps. I'm also working hard at not modeling everything way too much.  I keep having to remind myself that, sometimes less is more.  I'm fascinated by artists that can show great detail and visual information with a few simple brushstrokes. "That takes great skill!" Here the little girl is sitting on the swing and fort set, which gave her great height, almost putting her above the fence line, which is where the sun was setting. This allowed me to create a fantastic halo around her hair. The swing's gone as of a few summers ago, when a tree remover miscalculated his angle and demolished it. One by one each kid stood at the window in disbeli...

8 x 10 acrylic on hardboard She's just not that into you....anymore.  I began this painting during my Christmas break.  For the first time I looked under our Christmas tree and didn't find it filled with toys,  but instead electronics.  Christmas shopping had been simplified to several popular gadgets and to some degree I appreciated that,  but it was sad seeing that my kids were growing up.  The grays in my hair were already an indicator.   I really liked buying them toys.  I already miss it.

12"x 16" acrylic on hardboard Many of you that have followed my work for a while may remember this painting painted in a smaller 6x6 version.   I liked it at the time when I was concentrated on producing artwork daily. This time around I was more concerned with getting all of it to feel right.   I have been trying to paint larger and now realize that is something that also has to feel right.   It took me so long to complete this painting.   My daughter answered the phone and I heard her tell my sister that I was "still painting that picture."   That was funny because it was exactly how I felt.     I love the way it turned out, but it was a long journey to the end.   I didn't see that coming considering I thought I had already solved all of its big problems.   This time I managed to capture the depth of the little girl both literally and figuratively.   She is not fighting with the crowd in the background for importance. ...

8 x 10 acrylic on hardboard This is a painting from an unused reference.  I worked on a book several years ago about a little girl and the largest earth quake in the US.  I had been cleaning up some files and came across the picture.  It made a great painting.  I am always amazed at how my work has developed over just a few years.  In this painting I am particularly excited about how the butterflies and roses on the dress turned out.  I would have never even tried painting them before.  Now I not only painted it but the pink pattern glows off of the dress. SOLD

8 x 10 acrylic on hardboard I had a great painting day over the weekend.  I was in the zone for most of Saturday.  I painted almost all of this painting that day.  The portrait alone would have had me pulling my hair out.  The little girl has dark skin and because she's back lit,  it was hard getting just the right balance of features and shadows on her face.  I find painting nature difficult.  I guess I am not bad at it because I have some great comments on the way that I handle certain landscapes, but it is not a subject I feel comfortable painting.  When your painting nature you have to constantly edit because you can't paint every leaf or twig.   So you are constantly asking yourself what is important.  Then you paint in the important stuff  like it took little or no effort at all.    SOLD

8 x 10 acrylic on hardboard I love the result I got from cropping the portrait so close.  Sometimes simple is more effective.  I learned a lot from this painting.  First, there is no such thing as too close.  Second, blurring the edges of the hair is far more interesting than painting in individual strands. Third, softening up the jaw line creates a much more rounded face than using sharp edges.

"Zora with the Orange Ball" 8 x 10 acrylic on hardboard I finally finished this painting.  It wasn't difficult, I just dragged it on and on while I completed other paintings.  At different times of the year we get extraordinary lighting through the windows in our dining room and living room.  I usually can't resist taking advantage of these remarkable moments.  They only last about thirty to forty good minutes.