Marcia Neese, a stylish and friendly artist, explains her passion simply as, “I love to paint and paint what I love.”
Taking this statement a notch higher is that others also love what she paints, intrigued by the inspirations and origins of her artwork.
One of two new member partners at the Artist Guild Gallery (the other is Josie Capozzi), Neese commands attention not only by the size of her canvases and use of vibrant colors, but by her skill as a hyper-realism artist as well.
A “Peek-a-Boo” painting of a vivid green frog with piercing red eyes peering over a plant, is larger than life, making the viewer question just who is looking at whom?
“I began collecting small bronze frog sculptures when living in Nevada. It was my way of supporting a local artist,” she explains.
“At the time I was living in the lowlands, which were inhabited with hundreds of frogs. Their constant croaking could be heard even with windows shut. Between the incessant croaking and the frog collection it was decided, I must paint one!”
Neese, like many creatives, has a single thread which connects all her various lifetime ventures – the visual arts.
Despite that, she sustained a 20-plus year hiatus from doing what she loves most. The practicality of supporting herself and her children as a certified nursing assistant was a priority.
“I didn’t want to be the cliché of the starving artist. Illustration and graphics helped in addition to nursing.”Among the ways she supported herself, Neese launched her own advertising agency in her early 20s while raising her two children, and drew illustrations for other agencies.
When she resided in Colorado, she created a children’s book series, “The Boulder Gang,” that was based on firsthand experiences with her own son and daughter, their cousins and friends.
“While working in advertising for a Colorado grocery store chain, the owner wanted to print a children’s newspaper to promote items children want. I told him you can’t have a children’s newspaper without a comic strip,” Neese recalls.
“‘The Boulder Gang’ series initially started as a comic strip for his newspaper, The Peanut Butter Press. Eventually an independent agent persuaded me to pitch the series, and Baker Street Production, educational publishers, produced eight books.”
Neese credits a strong influence from Joyce Daisy, her second-grade art teacher and next-door neighbor, for encouraging her talents. Daisy seldom allowed Neese to bring her artwork home, but instead displayed the drawings at school, recognizing the potential in her young pupil.
Now, more than a half century later, Neese says she can still hear “Mrs. Daisy’s” art instructions, including: ‘Take care of your tools and they will take care of you,’ and ‘You must know the rules before you know how to break them, and that means how to use black.’
“I would also add, ‘To know what a painting is asking for, but also to know when to stop before everything turns to mud,’” Neese says with a smile.
While living in Arizona, she created works for interior designers, garnishing more than 300 commissions, primarily from snowbirds.
Paintings of the Grand Canyon, the state’s large and varied cacti, the majestic desert, mountains and rock formations, and the area’s rich earth tones were frequently requested. She occasionally also received requests to have the works painted on the walls of the residents’ homes.
It wasn’t until she saw Georgia O’Keeffe’s stunning painting, “Black Iris,” and also discovered the lush greenery of Maui during a trip to Hawaii, that her artwork took a turn.
Neese says the moment she saw “Black Iris” it was as if lightning struck. She immediately purchased a poster of the painting and hung it in her room. Then, she repeated a positive mantra stating that she could paint with larger-than-life intensity and utilize black. Mission accomplished.
Her “Bird of Paradise” painting, originally completed in Maui, features brilliant orange-yellow petals against a dramatic black background. Resembling the crown of a bird, Neese’s sharp lines and colors perfectly define the plant’s “neck and beak.”
“While working for travel publications in Maui, I took a photo of one and painted it on an exceptionally large canvas and used black. After returning to Nevada, my paintings were displayed in upscale restaurants, including a giclée print of the ‘Bird of Paradise,’” says Neese.
“An affluent customer often admired this print and inquired if it was for sale. I sold the original to him and his wife, who requested it to be shipped to Maui where they resided. This bird flew full circle!”
As Neese reflects on her artistic pursuits, one childhood memory emerges. Her mother was also creative but, as she couldn’t keep little Marcia out of her supplies, she put them away.
Undeterred, young Neese retreated beneath a family coffee table where she continued to pencil draw on the bottom of the table. The drawings weren’t discovered until the family moved and transported furniture to a new residence. In a manner of speaking, Neese’s art, too, has gone full circle.
Neese and her husband, Bernard Colas, a plein air artist, placed their roots in Vero Beach in December 2022, quickly realizing that it was where they needed to be and belong. Each has their own in-home studio, and they enjoy prepping and cooking dinner together. Both are members of the Vero Beach Art Club.
Photos by Joshua Kodis
