Northside Neighbor article

Here is a link to some exciting pr on the recent book I illustrated-it made the front page of the paper:) ABove are a couple page excerpts.

Books are available for purchase at birdiepress.net and here is the article:

http://northside-neighbor.com/detail.html?sub_id=166217.

The Stacks Loft Tour

Thanks everyone who came out for the tour! It was so much fun to meet you all...what a great event with so many unique lofts and artwork. It is always so very inspiring to me. I will post some photos of my space soon.
In the meantime, please note that my hand etched glass is now on display at Decatur Market and Gallery.
www.decturgallery.com
It is a wonderful space that was just named a hotspot by Atlanta Intown.

hand etched monogram

Here are 2 of four "CR" monogrammed wine/water goblets.

I am so excited about this project...these were commissioned by Gramercy linens ( a beautiful linen boutique in the Peachtree Battle area) www.shopgramercy.com.

They are participating in the Atlanta Homes Magazine Christmas Show House and will be featuring my glass etched goblets on their table!

so exciting...can't wait to go check it out:

http://www.atlantahomesmag.com/ms/christmas-house/christmas-house-2010

Glass and painting ongoing projects

Two current projects:

glass monograms and a pet portrait...
These are small 2.5" -ish high oval vases. I've several boxes of these and have been commissioned to monogram them. This is an ornate "MS" initial and an "MR". They are actually name initials...not titles:) Just finished them today. Lots more of them to do, some in double initials, single and triple.
While I have the camera out and the studio is nice and sunny, I took a quick pic of another current project, oil portrait of "Emma". This is the underpainting. Sometimes the quick brushstrokes are my favorite...but this will still go through some more layers and stages. oil on gallery wrap canvas 9x12".

Framing pastels

I should title this "oof" because this is one frustrating thing to do....but I had the frames and was determined to make it happen.

Pastels are unavoidably dusty and fixing them with spray just ruins the luminous characteristics of the medium. Pastels must be protected by glass or plexi (glass is best) but this does not prevent the pastel from continuing to shed dust over time and onto the matt board (if using one). Therefore space is needed between the pastel and the matt board so that the dust can fall down in between and out of sight. I use strips of foam core or matt board and hide them under the mattboard, so the pastel looks like it is floating a bit. But my dilemma today was how to do all of this with pastel bord....Ideally pastel can be on paper and a hinge constructed with archival tape can be created to attach it to a backing board. But the horse pasture pastel here was created on pastel bord, which is new for me. I loved working with it, but wondered how on earth to attach it to a backing board for support. Can I glue it? What is considered archival and professional? I guess the actual pastel bord could be the backing board, but the frame I wanted to use is larger and I wanted a matt--ugh.

I probably made this more difficult than needed, but it is finally done!

I ended up creating the space between the pastel and matt just like I always do, with spacers(foam core). Then I created shims out of foam core to snuggle up to the edges of the pastel board, creating a tight fit (and all hidden behind the matt board). I backed it with a thin matt board and taped it up!

I have sketches to create a mate for the horse pasture pastel. I will use this same process so they are truly a pair. I was tempted to switch to paper, but I want them to truly go together.

Hope to get that one finished up in the next day or two as well as a portrait of Bea, in progress and Emma, the airdale dog. Today was going to be a glass etching day... but I'm glad to have a few things framed for the upcoming oft tour.

Now onto some commissions for etched monograms on small vases. will post those pics soon!

Butterfly motif • hand etched glass

Another tumbler!

These are not only wonderful with monograms, but motifs and designs work very well, too. I've had a butterfly in mind for awhile and drew one out on this glass this morning. Perhaps a variety of different moths and butterflies will emerge for a new series of mix and match tumblers.....

Monograms on glass

I do love ornate lettering and monograms! Here is a tumbler recently etched and inspired by elegant pairings of letters, especially the way they can interlink and attach to each other to make one motif. These tumblers are always fun to create. I think they are especially nice as an elegant bathroom glass.

I'll be featuring more of these in the upcoming months...they make wonderful holiday gifts and hostess presents for the upcoming season! Please contact me by email if you are interested.

My website is starting to come together, too. I'll post a note when it is live. I have always wanted to learn how to build my own site, so I am finally playing around with my dreamweaver software.

Thanks for stopping by!

The Stacks Loft Tour

I'll be participating in the Stacks tour again this year, showing recent work in my loft space.

Please come to this fun event....all of the lofts are a blast to explore and all are so different from each other, and the artwork exhibited is always fabulous! The Stacks is in the old Fulton County Cotton Mill, which is a fascinating complex rich with history. If you come, check to see if Bambi, a knowledgable historian, is giving a tour. I've been on it several times and always learn something new!

Hope to see you there!

Friday December 3rd and Saturday December 4th.

http://www.thestackslofttour.com

The Adventures of Birdie and Bogey

The Adventures of Birdie and Bogey: Learning The Game of Golf

written by Randy Guyton and illustrated by Marlis Cornett

I am beyond excited to see the finished book! it should be coming off the presses any day now....

Randy Guyton wrote a wonderful story about two brothers learning how to play golf. The brothers, Birdie and Bogey, have very different personalities and expectations on what golf is all about. In the end, they learn that even though golf has rules to follow, it ultimately leads to immeasurable fun.

Here is the front cover art. I will begin to show bits and pieces to the interior pages soon.

As well as where you can go to purchase the book.

calligraphy and glass

I just finished 2 new glass pieces:

water carafe: Sit and have a Sip

open bowl: live laugh love

I am so excited about incorporating hand lettering into the glass etching pieces. The loops and swirls that I have been etching on the tumblers are all influenced by my love of calligraphy. Recently I had a commission to etch a large open bowl like the one here, but it had a message of thanks....made me think it would be fun to letter whimsical messages or even someone's name or special event....like a couple getting married, a birthday or anniversary.

Easy Glass Etching: the book

I still get inquiries about my glass etching book, Easy Glass Etching (Sterling Publications). It is no longer in print and Sterling discontinued it's craft line of books, unfortunately. But you can purchase used copies and overstock via Amazon and other book sellers if you search by my name or the book title. Pictured is the hard copy cover, there is also a soft back version, too. It was a blast to write and put together projects! Check it out if you ever get a chance:)

Pastel zinnia

probably 8x10".

pastel on paper.

I painted this back in July for my god-daughter, Olivia.

The flower came in my CSA bag from my farmer neighbor, Terri.
http://www.ladybugfarms.net/.

So sad csa is over for the summer...what a great way to get fresh and organic produce! Bea's first food was sweet potato puree from terri's farm.

sketch books

How cool is this?!?!!!

I want to participate even though i can hardly keep up with posting "daily" works on this blog....

http://arthousecoop.com/projects/sketchbookproject

sketchbookproject

Hand etched champagne glasses

Hello! It has been awhile since any entries. Life is good but busy. Beatriz, our 7..almost 8 week old baby is growing and playing and we are having the time of our lives.

I am still sketching and working on projects whenever a moment arises. Here are some recent etchings a client commissioned for wedding gifts. On the bottom of each glass the wedding date is inscribed and makes it even that much more unique and personal.

I am almost finished with the paintings for an upcoming children's book. Once complete, I will post some of those images if I can....not sure of publishing dates, etc.

Other fun projects include a series of stamp designs for a rubber manufacturer and more and more wedding calligraphy. I am glad to be busy, but there is not enough time in the day!

I'll be back soon with more goodies to share:)

Authentique • Inman Park

So many exciting things going on right now!

A few weeks ago I spoke with Candi over at Authentique ( a fabulous home decor boutique in a super cool part of Inman Park). http://www.shopauthentique.com/

Candi has incredible taste with such a fun mix of old and new. It is the kind of place that I could just move right into. I was thrilled that she was interested in my etched glass tableware and just this week dropped off several pieces for her boutique.

This weekend is the big Inman Park Festival--so if you are in the area, I highly recommend you stop by to check it out. She has super cool furniture, lamps, soaps and (of course) etched glass work by moi.

our sweet Bea

This cute little bundle has come into our lives and we could not be more thrilled. Beatriz was born April 5th and is absolutely amazing!!!

I said from the start this would be a blog just for work, but I had to share this big life changing news!

Welcome to the world my little Bea!

sorry for the absence....big big BIG project going on over here...very unexpected, too!

will post more about it next monday....

unfortunately I had to cancel my spot at the Suzuki market. I hope it went well - it was a gorgeous day...hope to do it next time.

Art Show at Suzuki

This is the banner/sign that just went to the printers...fingers crossed it prints nicely!

It is for the show this weekend. Details are listed in the previous post and below....

I'll be featuring just painting and pastels-with some silhouettes as well. No glass this time!

Also, Brad will be showing his latest adventure--soap! Smile Soaps & Detergents will make its debut. We have been testing it on friends and now it will be available for all to try! He has some fabulous, all-natural, 100& vegan soaps in a variety of scents. Detergent will not be available for this show, but will be ready to unleash soon!

Please come by and say hello!

suzuki marketplace

saturday, april 10th-- 10am-7pm

443 e paces ferry road

atl, ga 30305

Suzuki Market Place

The Suzuki Market Place is coming up! I'll be participating in the show, so please come by!!

APril 10th

10 am - 7 pm

http://www.suzukischool.com/market.htm

I'll be showing paintings and silhouettes with an emphasis on portraits. It looks like a fun line up of artists and crafts-people. Hope to see you there!!

pretzel

I have been busy painting a series of illustrations for a children's book. This is not one of them...but I was mixing some colors and the burnt sienna and yellows made pretzels pop to mind...I'm not even really wanting a pretzel right now, but I do like the fun shape and decided to paint one.

wouldn't it be fun to do a series of these...all food or maybe even flash cards of the alphabet for children. Iknow there are some fabulous ones out there (of animals) . But maybe one day I'll do my own series!

Cloche etched feathers

I did this a little while ago! But I never photographed it, so here it is. I love how the feathers act as a frame for the plant. It would also be beautiful with a small orchid in there...or really any flowers.

I ran the ING GA Half Marathon yesterday, so that wiped out a good bit of my weekend! Ready to get back on track and hope to have more goodies to post soon.

thanks for visiting the blog!

Glass etched lamp

Just finished etching this one today and assembled the lamp parts. This was commissioned by someone to give as a wedding gift. The beautiful motif was used for the invitations, so there is some special meaning there and it makes an elegant lamp design, too.

Pink moped • pastel

Pink Moped. 5x7" pastel on paper.

This cute little moped is often parked in a small protected spot in one of the loft parking areas. Tuesday (i think) it was sunny..maybe monday-seems like forever ago! Anyways, it was gorgeous out and I stepped out for a quick stroll to warm up in the sun.

Ever since, I have wanted to capture this image with the sun barely hitting the edge of the moped and the concrete box it sat in.

Painting • revised

Brad and Gus.oil on canvas 12x12"

I painted this several years ago...2001! I've had it in our house for I guess almost 10 years. wow. I love it and i remember this day so well - we were hiking along a river near an old mill. It is one of my favorite paintings. However, over the years, I noticed some areas that needed to be fixed. SO, finally I have brought this to the studio to mend some spots.

Oil painting • Katherine

Katherine 5 x 7" oil on canvas.

I have wanted to paint portraits for awhile. But not necessarily in the traditional sense. Instead I like to approach it from a more natural setting. Sort of like the posed photo vs. the journalistic approach. Definitely there are merits to both. I think I just like the figure to be doing things or engaged in something instead of the camera or viewer. More like capturing a moment instead of a pose.

Fortunately, I have lots of photos of my nieces and I can use them as experiments. Children are just fun to draw and paint. After sorting through boxes of photos, I found several from our beach trips over the years. This one is from maybe 5 years ago...Katherine's first trip to the beach.

Crocus • pastel

the first sign of spring! i love the crocus. a few years ago I planted some bulbs and they come back every year - the first to pop out when the weather is still bleak and we have a warm day followed by a freezing day. I guess they are just hearty little fellows. i was worried when i spotted them and then the next day it snowed (for the 3rd? time this year) we never get snow. regardless, they are still opening up every morning when the sun hits.

I had to capture one and bring it inside to paint because they will be gone before i know it.

crocus pastel on arches paper 5x7"

Silhouette • Katherine

Silhouette 8 x 10" of Katherine.

I am framing this one and the one of Ansley to give my sister for her birthday.

should be a surprise, i think:)

Silhouette • dancing at the beach

Here is the final outcome. I think the black paper works best because of the contrast. The second picture shows the sketch on top of the black paper-used as a template.

silhouette process

Here is the photo reference. I sketch the figures and make some modifications as needed. (full picture of sketch is shown in the post below) The left figure: I changed the arm to arch up instead of straight out and made her ponytails more obvious. right figure remained the same, although i think i accentuated the cute chubby legs a bit when I sketched the image.


Then I take the drawing and place it on top of the paper I chose. In this case i picked the orange and blue polka dot. I like it, but it does distract from the detail. So, I flipped over the remaining paper to show the cut out portion on top of a black board. The black shows the detail much better. I may cut another in solid black or just a darker, non patterned paper and frame.

figure sketch

This is a scan from my sketchbook. I am planning on using this one to create a silhouette. I had to make some minor adjustments from the photo reference. Maybe I'll post the photo/sketch/final cut paper in the next post to show the process. I scanned this in because I have been using the sketch on top of the final color paper. So, the sketch gets cut as well....Maybe I'll come up with a better process soon.

Pastel • Spider Mum

Spider Mum. Pastel 5x7"

on pastelbord.

I really enjoy drawing and painting glass. The reflections become abstract shapes and the colors are unexpected.

Last week I bought a bouquet of these mums and broke them up and placed them in individual glass votives. They look fun sprinkled on the table with little tea lights. Now some are falling apart, so I caught this one this morning.

Silhouette • Augustus

Augustus--my sweet boy.

Gus was my shadow... i miss him everyday. We had to say goodbye last november and Brad and I still feel the loss.

I have many paintings, sketches and photos of him ... a pastel I started just days before his health deteriorated. This contour sketch of him was a little tough to do-hard to look closely at him from a photo instead of real life.

Silhouette • Ansley

8x10" Silhouette of Ansley.

These are really fun to do!

more to come...

I have tons of old scrapbooking papers with wonderful patterns from my product development/ graphic design days with Inque Boutique. This was not one of our papers, but I think it came from a big pack from My Mind's Eye?? I am not sure because there is no label on the pack. This was just a soft textured pink.

Can't wait to do some pet portrait / silhouettes next. ALso have a wedding gift to send, and I think I have the perfect photo for it...

silhouette

Happy Valentine's Day ( a little belated) I wanted to do this for Brad's gift over the weekend, but we were so busy cooking and prepping for a dinner party, that it had to wait. I've been thinking about trying my hand at silhouettes and this is my first attempt. I've always loved them and my parents have black silhouettes from our toddler years. There has definitely been a revival lately and I think maybe even a market for these paired with calligraphy?

Next up will be my nieces. Katherine loves purple and I'll do one for her for her room. Ansley's favorite color changes, so i'll have to ask when i see her this weekend.

I researched a little bit about this unique artform and found several folks that do this. One fellow has done it for years, Karl Johnson. He sounds incredible and actually does not draw out the figures, but looks at an image or live model and starts snipping away!! I am not that confident yet.

I am sure there are some that use a computer to create a perfect silhouette, but I decided to use a photograph the same way I would use photos for painting reference....as a reference. So, these lines are not perfectly accurate, but you would not want them to be anyways. Editing out the wrinkles in a shirt and designing the shapes gives the image personality and allows me to control the composition.

I sketched the outline on a piece of paper. Once I was happy with the line work, I used the sketch as a template. With an exacto knife, I cut out the shapes in the patterned paper.

I used to love cut paper collages when i studied illustration, so this feels a little bit like a full circle. Combining my love of shape, figure and calligraphy. Can't wait to do more!

Fortune cookies

Homemade fortune cookies in honor of the upcoming chinese new year.

I consider cooking to be a daily creation, so it makes the blog cut.
I find cooking to be a creative outlet. It fits the parameters of creating something from a few basic elements into something beautiful (sometimes!) and tasty.

We are having a dinner party on sunday for chinese new year/valentines day. Six friends are coming over for a full on asian multi course meal. To some, cooking is a chore. But to us, it is fun.

When we planned this dinner, we thought it would be a blast to make fortune cookies and stuff them with funny fortunes. here is the result. they are not perfect, but they taste really good--way better than your average take out. These have ground almonds--actually more ground almonds than flour. so, surely they are healthy:)

We have some extras here, so that guests will get the luck of the draw.

These are not for the faint hearted. Afterall, it is going to be the year of the Tiger...

bracelet 5x7" pastel on pastelbord

I am still not sure about this one. there are some things not working and I will step back and look at it again this weekend. I think the eyes or the length of the bangs are not quite right yet...

the bangs are way too short now that i see this in a photograph – funny how that can really point out some problem areas.

I really enjoy painting people, so I hope to explore more over the next few months.

comments are always welcome!!

green vases, in more ways than one!

It's good to be green!

These are seriously green vases. Perrier bottles recycled into fun, whimsical vases. red gerber daisies look great in these as well.

The little vase (jelly jar) to the left is also a recycled pc of glass. They make fun little bud/wildflower vases. I always smile when i see them, so they say "smile".

A new lamp design. I sort of made up the flower. it reminds me of queen anne's lace, thistles and palm fronds. I like the spikey-ness and the movement. I'm calling it:

Tickled. base size is : 11.5" tall and 4.5" diameter

grazing

pastel on pastelbord 5 x 7".

I love PastelBord! I bought a pack and finally I am trying it. The texture really does grab the pastel and keeps the vibrance of the pigment. I may be hooked on it now.

Once spring rolls around, I will be out taking photos and trying to paint these types of scenes in person as well. This is from a horse park not far from our house. A group of us went out there to paint on site and I was rushed so I just took a bunch of pictures. The goldenrod or whatever the yellow is was all over the place-just beautiful.

hesitation

I really liked how the figures showed caution as they made their way in the water. Plus the gray Atlantic often looks a little ominous. Even on a beautiful day, it is just the color that it is.

I extended the height of this one because I wanted the shadows on the sand at the bottom.

So, that makes this a 9" x 8". cropped image shown here.

pastel on paper.

Sorry the crickets have been chirping on this blog! I have been busy with several projects and not sure I can post them on here. One project I will finish this week is pictured here in progress. Wedding season is approaching and I love invitation and envelope calligraphy. I use Sumi ink and antique nibs-so yes it is a lot of dipping, but it is the best result. If you or anyone you know ever needs calligraphy for an event, please let me know:) email me for prices and time frames.

marliscornett@gmail.com

Just a quick study while I am working on some children's book paintings, which is my current large project. (more on that soon!)

I have several little canvases around and whenever I need to get rid of some paint on my palette, I dab it on and work a little bit.

This is from a photo taken many years ago. It is my niece, Katherine, at the beach. Probably her first time there and she had the cutest little bikini on. I love her chubby cherub body and her outstretched hand.

I may switch over to oils at this point. Just started it in acrylic since that is what my current project is in. This would have much more depth and punch if completed in oil. hope to get back to it and have a finished painting soon.

But, back to work for now :)

Pearl's (Atlanta) closing

Yesterday I found out that the Atlanta Pearl's is closing!!!

Apparently this is old news and I am slow to take advantage. I immediately drove over to see if there were any items left. Everything in the store was marked down 50%. But this had been going on for 2 weeks, I was told.

Just about all the paints were wiped out...just a few random brands and unusual pigment hues. lots of watercolor and some gauche. Same story with the brushes, canvas and illustration board. Bummer.

There were, however, still a lot of pastels to be had. I stocked up on some of the luscious ultra soft pastels that just melt onto the page. I also bought some fabric paints for an upcoming commission to hand paint 2 pillows for a client. Other than that, it is a lot of random stuff.

I have to say it is kind of sad, even though I only occasionally went to Pearl's because it was not the closest to me. But, they did seem to have a better selection of true fine art supplies than some other atlanta shops. Pearl's is only closing 2 locations and i did not catch the other city.

So, if you have not already been, it is still worth checking out. The paper section still had a ton of mat board/crescent and lots of the beautiful art papers.

Sorry no image for this post. I'll break into the new stash of pastels soon!

Here is a little promo postcard for my glass etched lamps. I have a couple new ones in the works now. I can't wait to get back to them and finish them up!

Th designs etched on these lamps are often inspired by japanese art and design-I love their simple elegance. I am also often inspired by calligraphy (which is another passion of mine). The loop patterns are a reflection of that influence. I have a calligraphy project coming up the end of january, so I will post some of that work in february.

This is driving down krog, almost to the graffiti tunnel. I had this one in the recent loft tour and my niece fell in love with it, so it is now her's!

It is about 10x8" pastel on paper.

Here is a pastel of some daisies that have managed to hang on since early december!! The sun at my loft was beautiful today even though it was only about 17 degrees outside. It was nice to sit by the sunny window and paint this one.

pastel on paper, 6 x 8.5"