Creation is a dialogue, not a monologue. -Michael David Mayo​​​
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Marlaina is a third-generation painter forging her own path
and living the creative process as a sacred act,
one intended to bring the viewer closer to the infinite beauty of existence.
She received her first commission at age 16, but art did not become a dedication
until her mid-20s when her life plans were derailed by sudden illness
that would last for two and a half decades.
Art was a lifeline and catharsis as she dove headfirst into professional portraiture,
goddess art, and nature with a focus on magnificent trees and windswept heavens.
In 2017, after 20 years of solo exhibits featuring her paintings, photography,
and poetry in Pennsylvania, Virginia,
New Jersey, and New York state,
Marlaina pulled out of the traditional gallery scene, ending on a personal
high note with a solo show at the mayor's office in
Port Jervis, New York, the city where she was born.
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In 2016, Marlaina experienced a life-altering physical health remission
that forever changed how and why she creates.
She retreated into her studio and inner world and emerged seven years later
with 200+ paintings and no longer had interest in participating in conventional
arenas of art, craving deeper purpose and interaction. ​
Her SkyStories exhibits
at wellness centers, yoga studios,
contemplative spaces, nature sanctuaries and private homes
are meditative, multisensory immersions
that include her visionary paintings, original music, poetry,
hand-blended aromatherapy, and live Tibetan singing bowls.
​Paintings are draped and "framed" with exotic cloths and mindfully placed,
not hung on walls, creating themed meditative stations where viewers can
sit, kneel, lie, or stand in front of them for a personal transcendent experience.
Her "living" art exhibits strive to embody what poet Walt Whitman
celebrated in his passionate Song of Myself,
community art events that revere all that makes us gloriously human
as well as our connection to an inexhaustible Source.
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Medium & Process
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Unlike many of today's painters, Marlaina does not use any technology
or imposter techniques (tracing projectors, photo canvases, etc.)
in her process. After working in acrylic for 25 years, she switched solely
to oils in 2011. She follows the path of the old masters-
traditional oil techniques that include walnut oil, spike and linseed,
eliminating the need for toxic thinners including turpentine.
She also works in pure pigment soft pastel,
oil pastel, and mixed media on paper.
Her canvases range from 8"x10" to 48"x60".
(Please use the contact form if interested in
collaborating with Marlaina,
hosting a SkyStories healing exhibit, or info about commissions.)
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