purchasing mma original art & art prints

i'm just beginning to place lots of new pictures of marymakesart fine art original pieces on my blog. if you are interested in purchasing, please contact me at: marymakesart1972@yahoo.com , where you can ask about the size, price and print availability of each piece you see here. in addition, i often list both originals and prints on my website: marymakesart.etsy.com
thanks for reading and i hope you are touched by what you see and that God speaks to you through the art. please , please, please do not copy or use without contacting me first. i'm pretty open to the use of this art but ask that you purchase prints if you'd like copies. i have lots of digital prints available at really inexpensive prices! thank you! :D mary portteus

mma big art buttons

big art on a button! my last body of work consisted mainly of deconstructing large paintings that ended up rolled and not quite as i anticipated, or were just calling out for a rebirth! having all sorts of small pieces left i though! voila! art buttons for the original demiscarf and for others to create with. great for purses, etc. now i'm on the hunt for the best waterproof sealant for these little treasures. the buttons are coat sized, with holes large enough for a yarn needle to fit through. i'm excited to see what happens! right now i'm experimenting with e6000 sealant but will be looking into resin as well...i need something that will be long lasting. one day i hope these will be in the vintage category, with my daughter or my daughter's daughter (if Jesus doesn't come back first!) saying, "look at this find! my grandma made these buttons in the 2000's" and maybe she can put them on a sweater and wear it to "2000's day" at school! ;D at any rate, i'm also making these into pins. so, if you visit my website (www.marymakesart.etsy.com) you'll see them soon...and they'll show up at my favorite lovely fiber arts store, "puffy mondaes" (www.puffymondaes.com).
--the buttons are created with a wooden disc base,
--then i carfully choose pieces of paintings that have been deconstructed and adhere them to the discs with my secret formula ;D,
-- i break out my very first 'power tool', a dremel, and very very carfully drill holes into each button and i mean carefully, it took a bit of practice to understand how to hold the buttons so that the drill does not 'skip' and put a hole way on the oppostie side then what i intended.
--after the holes are drilled, i seal the buttons in yet another careful process that takes two runs of coating the buttons
--finally, i take out the dremel and recreate the holes from the sealant covering.
--then i lovingly tie the button to an 'mma big art button' card specially designed for these one of a kind buttons to use on your favorite projects, or just to embellish your favorite item (a purse, or anything hand washable). i recommend washing whatever you attatch these button in by hand in cool water.
if you have any questions about the button, please don't hesitate to email me at marymakesart1972@yahoo.com
thank you! --mary portteus, marymakesart

growth ring tree series

This series came about as a result of a number of drawings my grandmother created while in her last years of life. she would explore her memories by talking them out while drawing hundereds of circles within circles on construction paper with oil pastels. this idea reminded me of the growth rings within the cross section of trees. from there, the organic oval shapes formed. a tree, of course, cannot grow without water and, as it says in psalms, we are like trees planted by streams of living water. i suppose it is whether we choose to accept the living water Jesus provides for us that determines the quality & depth of our growth. therein lies the series...the everyday of spending time 'drinking in' the widsom the Bible provides is the most challenging part for me...i'm looking for ways to creatively soak up that 'water'...whether it's listening on c.d., getting the new manga Bible we ordered just the other day, or rewriting what i've just read to really get it into my system and apply that Word to my life. this is what this series of art is about...and after that growth comes, the explosion of color it adds to my life...hence, the series ends in several abstract collages (see http://www.marymakesart.etsy.com/ and look for the little square pieces with tiny circles that are collaged onto the paintings) about water, light and color. it all starts with this little figure planting a seed in a place where it can really get the light & nourishment it needs to grow. it's staying & growing in that place that continues to be my hope.

about the demi scarf

it's been three years since the conception of the demiscarf, an idea that took two full years to arrive on, particularly the decision to use the felt tab closure. each demiscarf is like an original work of art to me. i spend a lot of time walking around my favorite yarn shops (perks to 'puffy mondaes' and 'ewephoria' in nampa, idaho) with skeins of yarn held up to my neck. if it's even remotely itchy, i don't purchase the yarn. my design has changed just a bit this year, making each demiscarf with a looser, less thick knit and creating more length. i love attatching the felt tab under the knit body of a demiscarf this year. who knows? maybe next year there will be a new variation on the variation! :D for now, i am incredibly blessed to have the original marymakesart demiscarf flying off the shelves of say say boutique in downtown portland, oregon. thank you pdx!!! i've also introduced the tagua nut button into my design this year, helping support an indigenous community in the amazon, which creates these buttons from start to finish out of the tagua nut. the shape of this button echos my fine art work in a curious and unplanned way. i find myself gravitating towards shapes that remind me of tree ring growth and natural forms. next year i may introduce a luxe version of the demiscarf, using cashmere and more silk fiber. i'll also have lots of hand spun and hand dyed fiber demiscarves, using the wonderful roving puffy mondaes carries. i just love creating these! i cannot get enough of the endless possibilites of crating with yarn, with its various textures, colors and types of fiber. and the buttons...look for marymakesart 'piece of the print' buttons on next year's demiscarves, featuring portions of my fine art prints! --mary

being creative after surgery

well let's see...creativity always has to do with my hands being an extension of my Creator's. i can't help but be creative. after having chloe (7) and jesse (5) i got even more creative. several years later and after four surgeries in the last year or so, i'm even more creative. this, i believe, is really a massive gift from God. as i healed i knit more, collaged more & got more creative about how to homeschool. mercy for the weak. i'm getting stronger now and feel much better. the ideas continue to arrive taking on many forms. what has not changed is the intimate part of the process of creating. i still like to make everything 'one of a kind'. except the print editions of course...but even those are hand signed and numbered. i want to continute keeping marymakesart small by making original pieces and really trying to be faithful to the wonderful stores who carry my work:
say say boutique in portland, oregon/ the flying m in boise, idaho/ the midnight rooster in south carolina/ sparrow in nampa, idaho/ the brass razoo in nampa / the boise art museum gift shop/ & puffy mondaes (yup, that's right!) in nampa--a fiber arts store. and of course, the hosts of various marymakesart home shows and with home shows with friends.
amazingly, i've been able to keep up with most of this...another testimony to God's greatness in my life. recently, brian (my husband) really started kicking in more support and that's when things have really taken off. he helps me set up shows and take down when the show has ended. he understands that if he has a day off of work, it's my turn to jump in and start working on whatever project is at hand (most recently marymakesartees--one of a kind wearable fine art on cotton/poly tee 'canvas'). he also jumps right in and does homeschool even better than i do when i'm working and he's taking over my normal daily activities. his help through all this time of healing, along with incredible support regarding my health has been what has helped this small business to really thrive. blessings all around! --mary portteus

flght

fruitful flight comes from a willingness to be meditatively grounded. the supportive wind of heaven-the strength under your wings-comes in a quiet whisper...be ready to hear it.
-prophetic word given to me at "the awakening" worship conference, recored live with graham cooke

it's a brand new day to praise You!