Sketchbook Finished!!!!! Check Out the Video of the Whole Sketchbook!

Well I finally finished the sketchbook for Art House Co-op's 2010 Sketchbook Project. I still need to adorn the cover but the inside is completed. After having spent so many months working on this sketchbook I wanted to have a photographic record of it to keep after I send it out to the Gallery in NY so I made a video slide show and posted it on YouTube. Click on this link to view the video of my sketchbook pages on the YouTube website: Sketchbook Project Video, Linda Marcille

Or watch the small embedded video below: 

Saying Goobye, Surrendering & Using Art as My Guide

 I am counting down the days until I need to send the sketchbook I have been working on back to Art House Co-op where is will go on tour across the country . So much of my life lately seems to be about letting go; closing my silk painting studio, the realization that the new medications I am on will not produce immediate results, loosing my ability to be as mobile as I was, letting go of 2010; the 10th year of this illness in which I was so sure I would be healed and now letting go of this amazing sketchbook that has been my near and dear companion for so long.


In the past I believed so completely that God and my own ability to manifest health would cure this illness. To this day it continues to shock me that I am not well yet. However there is this message, a mantra of sorts that keeps coming to me from all kinds of sources and it is "Surrender". Just surrender, just be, just allow what is, stop fighting and kicking and screaming against this illness and be with it for a while. Just see where it takes you, how deep it goes, how dark it gets. Then perhaps in the midst of that dark pace I will begin to see a flicker of light.

A friend of mine is sitting in vigil with her dying father and has been sharing the most amazing details of this sacred time father and daughter are experiencing together. Today she wrote that he said "I have one foot on that side and one foot on this.... I am smiling on both sides... It is a bright, light filled place." I was so moved by his words and in awe of the crossing that awaits him. I have always anticipated something amazing on the other side of this life and when I worked with hospice patients I was blessed to be able to witness the transition between life and death first hand. It is trying to find the light on this side while struggling with this never ending illness that seems to be eluding me. I need to find that light within me while I am still living.


The decision to close my silk painting studio was made for me not by me. My body and energy have finally given out after living with a revved up immune system all these years. There was just no way I could go on working. I rarely leave the house anymore except for my 4 to 5 medical appointments each week so honestly I am having trouble seeing the light in all this, BUT....I do know it is there! I know that God is with me, I know that my life has purpose and that whether I am cured of this disease or not I can still be healed. This is a tough path, not one I would have chosen for myself (although there are those that believe we do choose our own path in this life). In an effort to find balance, peace and healing during this time of illness I think closing my business was a very neccisary act. As long as I was creating paintings that would please gallery managers and would sell I was not free to create really soulful work. The stress levels were very high and energy demands too intense. As my work with the sketchbook project comes to a close and I prepare to let it go on its journey I am looking forward to a time of artistic freedom with no commercial demands. 
 
It is my hope that as I leave the "darkness" of 2010 behind, the "light" I will be walking into in 2011 will afford me a year of reflection, restoration, and healing. Even if my disease is not "cured" I want to be at peace with what is. I want to stop fighting. I feel like shouting "I hear you Universe, I am surrendering.....be my muse as I paint a path toward my own inner light. Help me cross this seemingly impossible void so that whether I am sick or well  I will be healed."


Below are a the latest page spreads from the sketchbook, I have 4 more page spreads to go before the book is finished.

Lymphedema, and Totem Spirits

The journey has been a rough one lately. I am averaging 4 medical appointments every week and am so worn out in between that I don't have much energy to create or do much of anything. My eyesight is getting really bad again and my cognitive issues are so bad that I can't really get any reading done. Now they are saying they think I have Lymphedema and I am going to see a specialist next week.I have been unbearably depressed and seem to have daily weeping spells which just further confirm that I made the right choice in closing my silk studio at least for now.  There are also some other medical issues that have cropped up because of the Lyme but I won't get into them all here.

I really want to get some Christmas decorations up but just have not had the energy. I am hoping that in the next couple of days we can get some decorating done. I think that will help cheer me up a bit and get into the holiday spirit.

The sketchbook I have been working on for the Sketchbook Project is due in early January so I am feeling a bit pressured to get it done. Today I put on some Christmas music and went into the studio and painted the page spread above. I called it Totem Spirits and I am so pleased with it that I may try to do an oil painting based on the gouache sketch. I was so fatigued while I was painting it that I wasn't able to put much thought into it so it really just sort of flowed out on it's own.

Five More Sketchbook Project Page Spreads

Picture of Health

Seeds of Healing

Was it You?

Was it you I saw like a brilliant flash in the sunrise?
Was that rainbow formed by your radiant smile?
Have you been here throughout this long dark night?
Was I really never alone?
~ L. Marcille

The  page above was painted with the some dye that had dried into the dyes cups from the last silk painting I did a few months ago. I was cleaning up the studio and couldn't resist using these last bits of dye in my sketchbook so I added a little water and this is what appeared. 

 

Fly Away

This page spread for the Sketchbook Project is symbolic because the brown paper is the paper that I steam silk scarves in and the dye has bled off during steaming coloring the paper. I created this page the day I announced I was being forced to close my silk painting studio due to health issues.

Healing Quest

Closing My Silk Studio with Great Regret, Due to Illness (at least for now)

 "You Are What You Eat"

Photo above shows just a small portion of the medications 
I've been prescribed while being treated for Advanced Neurological Lyme.

This is such a difficult letter for me to write and it is with great regret that I am making this announcement. Many of you know that I have spent over a decade now battling Advanced Neurological Lyme disease and that it has activated a Lyme-induced autoimmune disease and a condition called Ankylosing spondylitis.  My symptoms have grown much worse over the last year, escalating dramatically in the last few months, and the neurological/cognitive aspects have caused me to make many mistakes in my business dealings, some that have cost me valuable time and money. I am currently having trouble focusing my concentration enough to even do the simplest tasks like paying bills and shipping orders to customers. The pain and fatigue are paralyzing at times and keep me from doing tasks like cooking, laundry, housekeeping, so much of the burden of these tasks has fallen onto Don. He had already taken over much of the grunt work for my silk studio and he now has his own health issues to deal with so I don't feel I can continue to make demands on him for framing, mat cutting, shrink wrapping and so on.

 I have been painting on silk since the late 1990's and it is a passion that I hope I will be able to return to in the near future, but it is a very physically and mentally challenging medium when used to create the style of painting I do. There are also fumes and chemicals that I am exposed to with my dyes and resists that may be taxing my system. As many of you know running a business is incredibly stressful and running an art studio in the midst of a recession is even more stressful. Don and I have viewed this from every angle possible and have come to the conclusion that at least for now I need to concentrate all of my energies on getting well again. So barring any medical miracles I am regretfully announcing the close of my silk painting studio. I have no idea what the future will bring but there is a very good chance that if I am able to reach the coveted state of remission then I would certainly consider reopening the studio.

Another very sad announcement that breaks my heart is that I am also closing down the Lyme Awareness Art Project (LAAP). The LAAP online gallery will officially be closed in early 2011. You can still visit the site at this link until January: http://www.lymeawarenessartproject.com. My deepest apologies to all the Lyme sufferers that were so gracious in lending their amazing poetry and artwork to this project. Each and every one of you is a blessing and inspiration to me. Keep creating and using artistic expression as a means of healing in your lives.

I am not going to stop creating art altogether until I am dead ;~) so I will absolutely continue to create art for my own pleasure and will continue to post it on my blog to share with you when I am able. I hope that by using less demanding mediums like gauche or water soluble oils I will be able to paint by taking lots of rest breaks in between periods of painting, a luxury that the demands of working with dyes on silk does not allow me. Having a break from running the business part of the studio will also allow me more time to create in a more relaxed atmosphere. After I finish working on the Sketchbook Project and submitting it to Art House Co op in January it is my hope that I will be blessed with the enough energy to explore a series of sketches and paintings based on illness, recovery and ecstatic relationships with the Divine. I am hoping that this exploration will be part of my healing process.

 All of the galleries that carry my artwork and prints are fully stocked and will most likely have my work on display through 2011. At this time I am no longer taking custom orders and all deposits are being returned. I will continue to sell out of my online Etsy shop until it is empty.
In closing I want to deeply thank all of my customers and supporters. You are what have kept me creating despite my illness all these years. Your kind words and praise of my work have sustained me and encouraged me to go on to creating during even the worst times of my illness. I wish you wellness and joy, always.

Be Well and Create Joy,

Linda Marcille

Counting Down the Days till the Sketchbook Project Deadline!

Well I feel the deadline drawing ever-closer for the Sketchbook Project so I have been spending sometime on it over the last few days. Finally took some photos to post for you..
On another note I am sad to say that I have had another relapse with Advanced Neurological Lyme and I will be making a difficult announcement in the next couple of days, so stay tuned.

Holiday Sale in my Etsy Shop!

Items have been flying out of my Etsy shop over the last week but there are still plenty of great deals. All matted limited edition prints are $10.00 off, (framed prints available also) , there are still some seconds silk scarves as well as firsts. The 4 x 6 art magnets are flying out of here so be sure to grab a couple to use as stocking stuffers or to use as a little something extra to put in a holiday card. Give a magnet to your postal carries in a card or to your child's teacher, they will be greatly appreciated.Visit the link below to see all the great gift items available in my shop. Remember any print you see on my Crow House Studio website can be custom ordered  through my Etsy shop by contacting me and letting me know which print you like.
Link to My Etsy Shop

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
I am having another Lyme flare so I felt really blessed that in spite of that I was able to get out and do my Thanksgiving shopping yesterday with the help of a wheelchair. Don offered to go for me but I really wanted to do the shopping for the holiday meal. Every time I have to use the wheelchair or walker to get out because of the Lyme pain I try to remind myself how blessed I am that I don't need to use it all the time and that "This too shall pass".

I have so many things in my life to be thankful for, my wonderful husband, lovely home, wonderful dogs, and so much more!! I feel a tremendous amount of compassion for everyone suffering with a chronic illness over the holiday season and I am sending those of you that are suffering from Chronic Lyme and others chronic illnesses lots of love, light and healing energy today!

Email From Kentucky About my Art on Magazine Cover

I got the coolest letter today! Someone in Kentucky saw my artwork on the cover of the Natural Awakenings Magazine and she wrote me the lovely letter below. It truely is a small world!!! I guess the publisher did not notify me of all the locations where my artwork made the cover so let me know if the Natural Awakenings Magazine in your area has my artwork on the cover.

"Dear Linda,

My name is Terry. My husband Kevin and I live in Louisville, Ky.  Our daughter Allison graduated from UVM in 2008 and still lives in Burlington, VT. We visit her often and just got back from our annual fall visit last October. This year we took our recently widowed 84 year old mother Gwen to Burlington to enjoy the fall foliage and get away to rest after a very difficult September. (Her husband, my father-in-law, died on Sept. 17 and they had been married 63 years.)

Allison played tour director and drove us all over Vermont. One of the things Gwen wanted to see was covered bridges. (We counted eight on our trip and were able to drive and walk through several.) Just last week I picked up the November Louisville edition of Natural Awakenings and saw your beautiful silk painting of Bridge at the Green on its cover. It looked so much like the bridges we had seen especially the one in Woodstock, VT.  I would like to buy a print copy of this painting for my mother-in-law and wondered if it was available at Frog Hollow in Burlington that my daughter could buy and bring home to us. If not, would it be possible to buy if from your studio and have it mailed to me?
it really is a small world when so many connections happened as I picked up that magazine in a restaurant near my home. Thanks for your help and continued good wishes for your painting and art work. It is truly amazing.

Sincerely,
Terry C"

Three New Magazine Covers With my Silk Paintings!

I was contacted by Natural Awakenings and asked if I would allow them to use 3 of my silk paintings on their magazine covers. The three covers will be used in different geographical areas. They also wrote up a bio which will appear inside the magazine.

 

Below is a copy of the bio which will be printed in each of the magazines

Cover artist

 

Bridge at the Green

      by Linda Marcille

Linda Marcille’s paintings on silk, mostly

whimsical vignettes of rural and urban

life in New England, are meant to inspire

happy, healing emotions. All are filled

with a sense of joy and lightness.

Marcille has been drawn to the

mysterious and distinctive qualities of silk

painting, an ancient Asian art form, since

the late 1990s. “There is a serendipitous

quality to painting on silk with dyes,” she

explains. “The process never allows the

artist to be fully in control or to know

exactly the effect that will be created.”

The artist hopes that the powerful

healing force she experiences while

painting will be shared by viewers of her

work. Her own 10-year battle with an

autoimmune disease led her to found the

internationally respected Lyme Awareness

Art Project, which encourages

advanced Lyme sufferers to use creativity

as part of their healing process.

Marcille chose her studio name,

Crow House, to inspire hope, as well.

“In Native American legend, the crow

represents an omen of change and is a

shape-shifter,” she advises. “Crow medicine

encourages people to shape-shift

their old realities into their future self.”

View the artist’s portfolio at Crow

HouseStudio.com and visit her blog

at Brattleboro-Muse.blogspot.com.

Donate Your Art! Benifit Auction to Support VT Food Bank

  Hey artist's donate your art to this benefit for the Vermont Food bank and help feed the hungry this winter. Only 9 days left to donate!!!

The past two year's donations from artists, arts organizations and service providers helped raise over $21,000 and provided 30 TONS of fresh, nutritious food for Vermonters in need. ...Last year more than 90 artists and arts organizations contributed artwork, crafts, tickets, workshops and other arts experiences to the auction. 

Follow this link for more info on the Vermont Food Bank and donating your art:

 Doing Our Part Auction

Grateful for the Right to Vote!

I am feeling grateful today that I live in a country where I am allowed to vote for whomever I choose and that I don't live in a country where I am not allowed to vote solely because I am a woman.  I am also grateful to all who laid down their lives protecting this right for me.

* Brunei - No suffrage for women. Neither men nor women have had the right to vote or to stand for election since 1962 because the country is governed by an absolute monarchy.

 * Saudi Arabia - No suffrage for women. The first local elections ever held in the country occurred in 2005. Women were not given the right to vote or to stand for election.

 * Bhutan - One vote per house. Although this applies to both men and women, in practice it currently prevents many more women from voting than men. If the new proposed constitution is voted and ratified, then no restrictions will apply by 2008.

 * Lebanon - Partial suffrage. Proof of elementary education is required for women but not for men. Voting is compulsory for men but optional for women.

 * Vatican City - No suffrage for women; while most men in the Vatican also lack the vote, all persons with suffrage in Papal conclaves (the Cardinals) are male.

See further notes here: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_countries_do_not_let_women_vote

Medicine Man and The Shaman's Son, Sketchbook Project Pages

Below are 2 block print images for the Sketchbook Project one is called "Medicine Man" and the other is "The Shaman's Son"

Some New Pages for the Sketchbook Project

Here are my latest Sketchbook Project pages:

1st day back in the studio with boot cast, making mini-prints

Well I may not be able to do much with this boot cast on but I was given permission at physical therapy yesterday to be up more so I am heading into the the studio to shrink wrap our mini stocking stuffer prints to ship off to Frog Hollow Gallery in Burlington and North of the Falls in Bradford. I am excited to be able to do anything in the studio after being laid up for a month and a half.

These mini prints measure about 5 x 5 and are super cute. They make excellent stocking stuffers!  It is really hard to capture their essence in photos however. I will probably be listing them on Etsy again this year for the holidays. You can visit my Etsy shop at this link:  My Etsy Shop

 

Any of the prints shown on my website can be ordered as regular prints (10" x 10" for $35.00) or mini prints (5" x 5" for $12.95). Just pick an image from my website, shoot me an email and let me know which print/size you are interested in. My Crow House Studio Website

Worlds Best Gluten Free, Dairy Free Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

OK this does not have to do with art but these were really good so I had to post the recipe

Worlds Best Gluten Free, Dairy Free Pumpkin Pancakes

by Linda Eaton Marcille on Sunday, October 24, 2010 at 1:42pm

2 Cups Arrowhead Mills Gluten Free Baking Mix (or other GF baking mix)
2 Tb Brown Sugar
1 tsp Baking Powder
1-1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1-1/2 cup soy milk (may need a little more)
1 Egg
2 TB Veg oil

Combine Brown Sugar, Baking powder, Pumpkin pie spice and set aside
Mix rest of ingredients together then add brown sugar and pumpkin spice mix.
Approx 16 pancakes

2 More Page Spreads for the Sketchbook Project.

I finished 2 more page spreads for the Sketchbook Project.I am covered in hives today from the new treatment I am doing for Lyme and knocked out on Benadryl so just gonna post the photos without commentary.

Jazz Spread for the Sketchbook Project

Well I am starting to get around a little on crutches now that the heavy cast is off and I have a boot cast. I have been trying to get caught up on paperwork after being laid up for a month. I start PT next Monday and am a little nervous about that because I have a lot of hip and back pain from being laid up for so long with the broken ankle. Anyway here are some photos of my latest spread for the Sketchbook Project sketchbook.

Screen Prints for the Sketchbook Project

I went to the Ortho surgeon yesterday and they sawed off the heavy cast and put me in a boot cast. The surgeon said that my healing was "Amazingly fast" & that I was an "Incredibly fast healer". Don & I have been manifesting this day for 4 weeks, along with healing visualizations. I refused to allow all the horror stories that I was told become my reality!! I go back for x-rays in November, hopefully will get rid of the boot cast then. In the meantime they said I can start to get up and around on crutches.

I was going through some old art work and came across some screen prints I did years ago when I was first teaching myself to screen print. I can't wait until I can get back in the studio and start screen printing on silk again. I have decided to incorporate these early screen prints into my Sketchbook Project sketchbook.

 

Dressed in Green Velvet Sketchbook Project Page

Completed another page for the sketchbook project today. I called this one Dressed in Green Velvet.

 You can see all of the sketchbook pages that I have completed so far on Flickr by clicking the link below:
My Sketchbook Pages on Flickr

A Star With Your Name Sketchbook Page

It is killing me to be stuck inside with this cast on such an amazingly beautiful fall day. Day's like this make me so incredibly grateful for The Sketchbook Project and the blessed distraction it has afforded me while my ankle heals.

When I was a little girl my Dad took me outside one night and  pointed to a star. He said that it was my star and that whenever I felt sad or lonely all I had to do was look up at my star and remember how much he  loved me. This painting is in memory of my Dad and dedicated to all of you out there that need to be reminded that you are loved. Somewhere out there is a star with your name on it.