Studio news

Appreciation by Natalie Marquis

Open Studios earlier this month was delightful  – not only for the paintings that found homes, but for the visits from old friends and new. The stories and conversation with folks who enjoy art and came to support me was so darn energizing!  

I was also lucky enough to send one medium sized painting and six small ones out into the world, along with a handful of prints, cards, and pillows – which still feels pretty magical!

And then, almost immediately afterward, I got sick. 

Nothing tragic, just a fever and nasty head cold but it sapped my energy big time and left me in fog for over a week.

Since then, I’ve been focusing on my health, settling into some nutrition changes, and tending to ordinary spring things like power washing and staining my deck. Not exactly glamorous, but honestly, that’s where much of my energy and attention has gone lately. I haven’t been in the studio nearly as much as usual, nor felt the same steady creative spark I normally do.

At first, this worried me a little.

But I reminded myself that creativity has seasons, just like gardens do. Sometimes it’s a season of blooming and visible growth. Other times, it’s more like seeds underground — nothing dramatic to see yet, but important things quietly taking shape beneath the surface.

I’ve still been inching along on two fox paintings. One is close to finished, and the other is making its way there too. And perhaps that’s enough for now.

When I step out into my little garden and see the bee balm and peonies beginning to emerge, I’m reminded that blooming seasons always return in their own time.