feed your head

Mark your calendars: On Saturday, January 30th, I'm having another "Paint-a-Thon"! I will be setting up my easel in the front window of Cool As A Moose (128 Maine Street, Brunswick) and painting from roughly 10am-6pm. At the end of the day, the completed painting will be raffled off, and 50% of the proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program's "Backpack Program". Raffle tickets can be purchased in person or online (here's the link: https://www.carii.com/#/register/BrushstrokeswithImpactbyMaria) for $5 each or 3 for $10. Plus, I will have a "pop-up" show of my art at Cool As A Moose from Friday, January 29th through Monday, February 1st, and 10% of all my art sales (excluding magnets) from this show will be donated to the MCHPP's Backpack Program! If you haven't heard of the MCHPP's Backpack Program, you can read all about it right here: http://www.mchpp.org/backpack-program/. It's a great cause! 

Being raised in an Italian-American household, food was a major focus for my family. My mom was known for her cooking, and she seemed to make it her mission to feed everyone and anyone who walked into our house. My parents were also very active food bank donors, and they made it a part of their regular grocery store routine to include space in their shopping cart for food pantry staples. Because of this, teaming up with the Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program feels like a bit of a no-brainer. I'm grateful to be hosted by Cool As A Moose as well! I was a "pop-up" artist at Cool As A Moose back in September 2014, and I had a fantastic time. I'm looking forward to working with them again. The staff there is so friendly! 

warm memories

Incidentally, if you're reading this and you have a story to share regarding my mother and her cooking, I invite you to leave it in the comments!

snow down, slow down

It's snowing where I am! Sometimes snow days can be rather inconvenient. Sometimes snow days can come at just the right time. Today feels like one of those well-times snow days. Yes, it's true: today's snow day has resulted in a postponement of the artists' reception for the 8th Annual Joy of Art juried group show at Topsham Public Library. While that is a bit of a bummer, the reception has already been rescheduled for Saturday, February 6th, 1pm-3pm, so that's taken care of. The Joy of Art began on January 12th and runs through February 20th. For more information, please visit the Topsham Public Library's website: www.topshamlibrary.org

The beauty of a good snow day is the permission to take things slow, to kick back a bit, to sleep in, to catch up with things that have been needing attention. I've been trying to make this day a healthy combination of all of those things. I still have plenty to do, but somehow, it feels like everything will get done. One of the things on my list was to write a quick blog post to include something I can't believe I left out of my last blog post: I made the paper! 

back page news! 

Yes, my "Paint-a-Thon/Paint4TheCure" made it into the January edition of The Cryer! The article is the entire top half of the back page...pretty awesome, if you ask me! I'm grateful to Keith Spiro for documenting the day so beautifully, and I'm already looking forward to my NEXT "Paint-a-Thon"! Please visit (and join!) my Carii community page, Brushstrokes With Impact By Maria, to find out more! In the meantime, stay warm! 

we can be heroes

To all who were involved in my "Paint-a-Thon/Paint4TheCure": I am overwhelmed and humbled by your support! Thanks to you, today I was able to donate $374.98 to NFCR's Play4TheCure program! This total came about through several different ways: 50% of the proceeds from all of the "Paint-a-Thon" raffle ticket sales, 10% of the proceeds from all art sales from my show at the Mix, and all of your post-raffle donations through my Carii community page, Brushstrokes With Impact by Maria! 

David Bowie's passing from liver cancer on January 10th has affected me in a way I never would have seen coming. Obviously, I did not know him personally, but David Bowie was one of my heroes: a true artist who was always reinventing himself, always pushing boundaries, always evolving, and always relevant. I'm grateful for the incredible music he left behind, and for the inspiration he provided for me personally as well as for so many others. Being able to make this donation to NFCR's Play4TheCure program just days after David Bowie's passing feels like an appropriate tribute.

"Heal" with its new owner: my awesome sister, Addie! 

Would you like to be the next lucky winner? Well, mark your calendars for my next "Paint-a-Thon": Saturday, January 30th! Details to come...stay tuned!