“I was raised by an artist mom. She would take my sister and I to art museums in San Francisco, her favorite was the Modern Art Museum, her favorite artist was Picasso. As a little girl I dreamed about horses. I would draw a birds eye view of cowgirls on ranches with dozens of pretty horses.
I grew up, went to college and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in graphic design. In my adult life I struggled to find my artist identity. My biggest inspiration comes from children and naive folk artists. I envy the untrained eye. In my mid 50s, when my husband and I bought a home in New Mexico, like dozens of artists before us, the calling to paint was intense.
I went back to my child self bird’s eye view. Just like the child me, I still curl up in a chair with a board on my lap to create my visions. My paintings usually tell stories. They are usually based on reality, but I take liberty in arranging my worlds. My paintings are somewhat small, elaborately detailed with embroidery like brush work that take hours and hours to finish. I love color, I love the texture of the paint. Our home in an old hispanic village is rich with subject matter.
For the last five years my best friend from childhood has taken me traveling around the world, India, Guatemala, Spain, Europe, Morocco, all places that have given me a life time of paintings in my head. Meeting Laurie Ahner last summer gave me the validation I had always dreamed of. I call myself an artist now and I don’t want to waste any time being anything else.”
Marie T. was raised in Sonoma County, California. At Colorado State University she earned a B.F.A. and married her favorite drawing professor in 1986 (she asked him out after class, the rest was history.) For the next 20 years Marie raised a son and took care of aging parents while doing some free lance illustration and occasional outdoor murals. At the age of 56 Marie began painting inspired by the landscape of Taos County where she and her husband now live with two dogs and a few chickens.
Text by Marie T.
Lost Bear, Fort Collins, Colorado
Chimayo Church
Winter
Homecoming Parade 01
Homecoming Parade 02
Homecoming Parade 03
Chimayo
Burro Race
Country Scene
Chamisal Valley
Chamisal, Cutting Wood
Memorial Day Composanto