socks etc: Etsy Shop Feature: Mary Ann Farley Art

Thursday, 19 April 2012

Etsy Shop Feature: Mary Ann Farley Art

'Chapeau', original mixed media painting

Today in my Etsy series I am featuring one of my favourite shops; Mary Ann Farley Art. I just adore the lovely lady in the painting above!

Here are Mary Ann's answers to the questions I asked her:

Who is behind MaryAnnFarley Art?

Just me, Mary Ann Farley, resident of Hoboken, NJ and the world at large.

ACEO/ATC Art Giclee print 'Cabaret'

Tell us about your work process

I generally create paintings of all sizes, then translate them into items that I sell in my shop, like pendants, lockets, rings, bags, journals, etc. It’s a way that people can enjoy my artwork without having to spend a lot of money. Plus, I love the idea of “wearable art.” There’s something fun about loving a particular image, then looking down at your hand and seeing that image in your ring or necklace. They’re usually great conversation pieces!

As for my painting process, last year I was stenciling lace onto canvas as a background, then painting an image in the foreground. It gave the piece this odd 3-D effect, even without creating shadows! I’ve done just two of these so far, and have another prepped.

As they’re pretty labor-intensive, at the moment I’m working a little smaller, either on paper or on a small canvas. This year, I’ve branched out into doing mixed media works that have collage elements. I love the idea of putting text into a work, which a lot of artists frown upon. But as I’m also a writer by nature, I can’t help myself…it’s going to happen a lot more as time goes on, I think.

As long as the words are somewhat obscured into the piece, they can work incredibly well and can have the effect of being a little treasure. As you’re looking at the painting, suddenly you discover this little thought or phrase. I like that.
As for the creation of my jewelry, the hardest part is getting that image under glass without any bubbles. This has become the bane of my existence! Sometimes I have to make three pieces in order for one to come out just right, because the bubbles don’t always show up right away. It can truly be a recipe for insanity, but at least the bulk of my jewelry is made, for the time being. As each piece sells, I then make future pieces as custom orders.

'Louise Brooks' Bronze Locket

Where do you get your ideas from?

Some images literally just pop out of my head, while others are inspired either by pre-Renaissance religious icons, which I adore, or even artists here on Etsy, who are amazing! I can’t begin to tell you how many favorites I have. They level of quality can be astounding, but I also love outsider art. I’m also inspired by how well so many of these artists are selling! I’ve had my shop since 2007, but it just sat there for years, until August of 2011, when I relaunched it in earnest. I’ve been working like a dog on it ever since, easily putting in 10 hours a day most days.

I also just bought a new digital camera, a DSLR, so I plan on taking a lot of pictures this spring to use as sources as well, mainly for color inspiration.

There Lay a Rose (Print)

Apart from creating things, what do you do?

I’ve been a writer and editor most of my adult life, which has been the job that pays the bills. Unfortunately, in the last decade I became quite ill with a serious blood clotting disorder, that left me in a lot of pain.

For years, I’d also been a singer/songwriter, and even put out two successful albums, but when I became ill, I just couldn’t perform or tour anymore, so that’s when I turned to art. I also turned to my writing, and I keep a blog about my chronic pain journey, which has been so helpful not only to me, but to others who suffer similarly. I plan on having more surgery this year in hopes to finally rid myself of this terrible ordeal, but at least the writing has helped heal my soul.

I invite anyone who suffers with something unthinkable in their lives to read and comment. I don’t blog as much as I used to, and lately, my posts have been more about creativity. But if one were to read previous posts in the last three years or so, I think they’d find a lot of support there. And, of course, they can always reach out to me personally. (Find Mary Ann's blog here)