Original Paintings by Marla
I’ve been in love with creating art from a very young age and I’ve cycled in and out of intensified creativity phases all of my life. There have also been many art-related jobs, like teaching art to middle and high school students for 7 years, and a brief career as an art museum educator.
However, I was never able to give myself, full-time, to my own creative work. But shortly after my 60th birthday I decided I’d better make a commitment to my art “before it was too late”! So, I turned the waiting room of my counseling office into a painting studio and committed to being a working artist.
In the years that followed I have maintained a daily painting practice, and have refined my craft through professional workshops and participating in various juried shows.
As an abstract expressionist and intuitive painter, I am drawn to vibrant colors that evoke light and energy. My process is mindfully intuitive. I paint from feeling rather than intellect, allowing each piece to become a physical manifestation of "flow."
For me, painting is the practice of being fully present, capturing the harmony between the internal self and the external world.
If you are interested in purchasing a piece, you can reach out to me via the contact page.
Good as Gold
20”x24”x1.5”
Acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas
$336
This painting, a study in texture and atmospheric depth, is characterized by a moody, slate-gray foundation that feels both heavy and ethereal. Sweeping, energetic brushstrokes in shades of lavender, ochre, and pale cerulean break through the muted backdrop, suggesting a spontaneous, intuitive movement across the canvas. The pops of bright gold and icy blue act as flickering lights within a storm, inviting the viewer to find order and meaning within a chaotic yet harmonious landscape of pure expression. The pops of cerulean blue appear where the painting "asked" for them, demonstrating a trust in intuition to find harmony within a chaotic field of color.
Serendipity
36”x36”x1.5”
Acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas
$910 (unframed)
This expansive abstract work is a captivating exploration of color and light, dominated by a serene yet vibrant field of periwinkle and lavender. The composition achieves a sense of airy suspension through layered, atmospheric washes that are punctuated by deep violet and indigo accents. Scattered throughout the piece are sudden, energetic moments of warm ochre and moss green, suggesting a hidden landscape or a sudden burst of sunlight breaking through mist. This painting serves as a peaceful yet spirited focal point, offering a sophisticated balance of tranquility and creative vitality.
A Butterfly in Time
20”x24”x1.5”
Acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas
$336
This vibrant abstract work is a bold exploration of kinetic energy and color contrast, where high-intensity pigments clash against a soft, sage-green background. Deep navy and charcoal strokes anchor the piece, acting as heavy, jagged interruptions that cut through a warmth of saturated oranges, peaches, and sun-drenched ochre. Large, confident sweeps of paint create a sense of rapid movement, suggesting a moment captured in mid-transition. While the forms are non-representational, the sharp angles and bursts of bright white highlight a raw, architectural tension within the organic flow.
Chasing Waterfalls
24”x20”x1.5”
Acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas
$336 (available Framed, $436)
Selected for, and shown at the Tubac Center for the Arts Members Juried Exhibition, 2024
This floral abstraction engages high-chroma contrast, with a vertical orientation to create a sense of upward growth and emotional suspension. The palette is dominated by a lush, cool-toned teal that serves as an expansive background, punctuated by deep magentas, bruised purples, and bursts of candy-pink. Swirls of rich fuchsia and violet cluster in the center, mimicking the unfurling of a dark flower or the chaotic beauty of a garden in a storm. While Sweeping loops of sky-blue paint on the right side of the canvas introduce a rhythmic, calligraphic quality, suggesting movement like wind or water passing through the central "petals."
Ojo de Dios
48” x 48”x1.5”
Acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas
$1600
This monumental abstraction, in both size and theme, has a grounded, architectural feel and features high contrasts of light and shadow. The composition is anchored by tall, dark, vertical forms that resemble a mountain range or a cathedral. There is a high level of contrast between the deep, velvety blacks and purples of the central peaks and the ethereal, pale lavender and cream tones that surround them.Forming the “Heart” of the piece, is a concentrated burst of fiery crimson and ochre sits that at the center-right, acting as a glowing core which provides a warm, intense focal point amidst the cooler surrounding colors. Below the dark peaks, thin vertical drips and delicate, charcoal-like line work add a layer of fragility and "gravity," suggesting that the forms are either rising from or dissolving into the earth.
The Title: Historically, Ojo de Dios is a woven symbol of clarity and seeing the unknown. The concentrated crimson and ochre core at the center-right functions as a "pupil" or a focal point of awareness. It gives the impression that the painting is looking back at the viewer, This central, glowing core serves as a symbolic "eye"—a point of awareness perfectly illustrating the idea of the "inner voice" gaining volume and clarity. The tall, dark, cathedral-like peaks provide a sanctuary-like frame for that central "eye," turning the composition into a space for meditation.
Ojos de Dios is not just a painting; it is a visual record of reclaiming clarity and seeing the unknown through the act of pure expression.
Joie de Vivre
24”x20”x1.5
Acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas
$336 (purchase with She Wears Bells on Her Toes—$600 for both paintings)
This vibrant abstract composition acts as a dynamic mirror to its partner (She Wears Bells on Her Toes), offering a further explosion of cool-toned energy and floral-inspired movement. Dominated by the same rich palette of deep magenta and royal violet, the work shifts the focus toward a central, swirling fuchsia core that feels like a heart in mid-pulse. While its counterpart utilizes luminous white impasto for high-contrast depth, this piece integrates soft washes of lavender and sage green to create a more atmospheric, ethereal surround. White gestural marks and splatters dance across the surface, connecting the two works through a shared language of light and motion. This painting serves as the perfect emotional bookend, prioritizing the same uninhibited creative flow and rhythmic relationship between jewel tones, yet offering a softer, more expansive interpretation of the intuitive floral form.
24”x20”x1.5”
Acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas
$336 (purchase with Joie de Vivre—$600 for both paintings)
This painting is a vibrant explosion of cool-toned energy and floral-inspired movement, dominated by deep magenta and rich violet. Broad, expressive sweeps of fuchsia create the sensation of a flower in mid-bloom, while integrated touches of sage and forest green suggest hidden foliage within the petals. Luminous white impasto strokes are layered over the darker jewel tones to add a sense of light hitting the surface, providing high-contrast depth. At the base of the canvas, fluid purple spatters and translucent washes suggest a sense of release, as if the color is melting or raining down from the central form. Overall, the piece serves as a celebration of uninhibited creative flow, prioritizing the rhythmic relationship between lush colors and energetic, gestural marks.
She Wears Bells on Her Toes
Big Flower
40”x30”x1.5”
Acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas
$840
This painting is no “shrinking violet”. This big floral is both vocal and expressive—it will not be ignored! The colors are at their most vibrant, with a bright teal background providing a stage for towering, sun-drenched ochre and purple flowers. The use of white "line-work" to outline the petals confirms that there is a very spontaneous spirit to the painting.
Don’t Worry, Be Happy
24”x24”x1.5”
Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Canvas
$410
This vibrant abstract composition is a bold study in kinetic energy and spontaneous layering. Dominated by an expansive field of sunny ochre and sky-blue washes, the canvas is interrupted by thick, gestural sweeps of pale buttercream paint that snake across the surface with high-intensity motion. Splatters of warm sienna and deep magenta provide a rhythmic counterpoint to these broader strokes, creating a sense of joy and uncontained creative "flow." The interplay between translucent background layers and opaque, impasto-like marks suggests a landscape in constant flux, where the light and energy of the moment are prioritized over traditional form.
Wild Spirit
36”x24”x.75”
Acrylic on canvas
$610
In this striking representational work, the fluid and energetic spirit of intuitive painting is applied to the majestic form of a horse. The composition is a masterclass in dynamic movement, with a sweeping mane that appears to wind through the air in rhythmic ribbons of violet, cream, and rose. Unlike a static portrait, the use of expressive color—ranging from cool lavender shadows to sun-drenched ochre highlights—gives the subject a sense of living heat and vitality. The horse's direct gaze serves as a powerful focal point, anchoring the swirling, atmospheric background and inviting the viewer into a momentary, intimate connection with the wild.
