We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cindy Veltman-Marshall a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Cindy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

One of the most meaningful series of prints I completed was based on a short story written by my husband’s cousin entitled “A Man With His Head in a Tree”. As she read the story to a group of us images filled my mind with a reinterpretation of her words. The prints were literally taking shape as she read. We were out of state at the time and I couldn’t wait to get back to Colorado and get those images into ink. The series was one of my favorites and 4/of the five prints found their way to new homes. I only saw the series of 5 hang in a gallery one time but it was a feeling of work well done.  

Cindy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have been working in the arts my entire life. I think my first sale was when I was 11 and I was selling painted rocks and someone bought a set of the 12 astrological signs from me. I was a fine arts major at the University of Oregon, majoring in drawing and painting. I switched to Portland State University and also changed majors. It was the last collage art class I took I realized I was a printmaker.

Life gets in the way and it was years before I returned to printing. I had a few years of successful printing and then moved to Colorado in 1986. I was unable to find a press or printing studio and it was almost 25 years before I was able to return to printing.

I am a part of a community of printers now and belong to two art guilds. I have permanent wall space in the Rox Gallery located in Aspen Grove in Littleton, Colorado. I participate in fine art festivals through out the year selling monoprints, monotypes, etchings and some mixed media pieces. I would encourage artists to never give up on your dreams and decide how you can make art work in your life.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I have almost a bucket list of goals for my own Art. The first was to have my work displayed in a museum. The second was the have my work accepted into a juried show in the art district on Santa Fe Drive in Denver, Colorado. Third was to have my own show. Fourth enter juried fine art festivals. Fifth have space within a permanent gallery. I am thrilled to say that I have accomplished all of these goals within the last six years. I’m actually of in the process of evaluating how I want to proceed from this point in time. I feel my work is taking on a more complex depth in both subject matter and technological skill. It will be interesting to see how this manifests.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the process. There is nothing more satisfying than working through the piece from start to finish. The initial inspiration to the sketch and/or concept.The technical planning involved and the execution of the plan. I love the difference between an original print and a painting. The painting takes shape before the artists eyes, the print is also created in this manner although often in reverse. The difference is once the print goes through the printing press it is magical when it is pulled from the printing bed. I may have an idea of what will happen but there is always a heart stopping moment of surprise. There is nothing like it.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: marshall_arts_printmaker
• Other: ROX Arts Gallery

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