Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Marilyn Ivy. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Marilyn, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I have been blessed with my life as an artist and art teacher. Whether you come to art at the beginning of your career or discover your love of art later in life, becoming an artist is very rewarding. I started down this path in high school with my art teacher, Beatrice Dunning who influenced, not just my artmaking, but my becoming an art teacher. She was a role model who valued students and delighted in their individual creativity. After high school I chose a traditional degree plan at Texas Christian University to become a painter: majoring in painting and also picking up secondary teaching credentials to teach art. I think both artmaking and teaching come from personal passion and there are as many paths to an art career as there are artists! I loved my years teaching all types of art in high school and a few years as an art education coordinator at TCU.

While I was teaching, my husband and I were also raising our two wonderful children. I never stopped making art during summers, but like anything you want to improve, the more you paint, the better painter you become. There is always more to learn by studying with excellent artists and teachers. That is why I got a Master’s degree in painting at Texas Woman’s University in my empty nest years. I’ve taken no shortcuts in learning my craft, and my husband’s support enabled so much of it.

Marilyn, 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 paint in oils, watercolor, and pastel, but I’m first and foremost an oil painter. Over the course of my painting career, I have worked in different styles with a variety of subjects ranging from landscapes to portraits and figures in action. After painting landscapes inspired by travels here and abroad, a trip to Japan changed my direction, and for a while I painted with the Japanese aesthetic in mind. I am very thoughtful about what I want to say with each piece, and I think my varied subjects have a quiet serenity about them. Most recently, I’ve focused on watercolor and I love the challenge of a medium so fresh and spontaneous! My involvement with the Society of Watercolor Artists with workshops and shows here in Fort Worth has been key to learning the medium.

After retiring from high school teaching, I soon became an art educator at the Kimbell Art Museum. The position gave me the opportunity to teach art to adults and children of all ages. What a change of pace!

Over the last year I have been honored to have my artworks accepted in the Fort Worth gallery, The House of NeVille Gallery and Gatherings. Joy Harvison has designed a gorgeous gallery with thematic shows installed with creative flair.
I am most proud of my backyard studio my husband built for me! It has great lighting for late-night projects, wall space for my retrospective, my dad’s old drafting table, my grandmother’s kitchen table, and my parent’s antique chifferobe for art materials. It’s my happy place.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I meet many people who say they are not talented in art, or that they can’t draw a stick figure, let alone a portrait. I like to compare becoming an artist to becoming a musician. No one expects to play concerts without devoting hours every day to practice. Even if your goal is to play the piano for your personal enjoyment, you must practice until you can play from the written music of a favorite song. In my many years of teaching art, I had “talented” students who were eclipsed by others who consistently put in the extra effort to make their projects special. Painting takes practice- lots of it! But now I know many artists who have built an amazing career in 3 to 5 years! That’s because there are groups everywhere in the U.S. like the Society of Watercolor Artists whose members join to support each other; who offer workshops and demos for a low membership cost. Similar groups are out there for oil and pastel painting. Want to paint outdoors? Join a Plein Air group! Most of these groups emphasize the mastery of skills to create beautiful paintings, rather than to express social commentary on issues of the day.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is having fun as an artist! Artmaking is all-absorbing. I advise listening to music while you paint to get into the “zone”. Even overcoming the blank canvas is gratifying! When I am working through challenges, painting allows me to escape for a period of hours. I guess I’m pretty serious while I’m painting, but I’m loving every minute of it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.marilynaivy,com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marilyna.ivy
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marilyn.ivy.165/
• Linkedin: Marilyn Ivy – Fine artist: oil and watercolor

Image Credits

All photos by Marilyn Ivy.