Make sure to watch the slide show of her photography. You will love it.

Introducing… Traci Suzanne Marvel

ME- (The oh so eager to think of a question interviewer.)
“I love your art. Tell me more about your process, and your inspirations.”

ME- (On the edge of my seat interviewer.)
“What was your personal best photo, and why?”

Oh boy!  That is a hard one as I have literally taken thousands and thousands of photographs, but the one that comes to mind is one that I took with one of my first “big deal” cameras.  It was a Pentax K1000. I developed the film and printed the photograph myself. The image is called Amazing Graze.

And then I think my second most favorite is Montana Whisper.

I like this one because I actually heard the white horse say to the sorrel horse, “Come closer and let me whisper into the ear of your heart.”

ME- (Now a bit cocky since I’m on a roll with the questions interviewer.)
“Who, besides me, are your favorite artists, past and present?”

ME- (Now extremely curious and is also considering building a tee-pee in her yard while doing this interview interviewer.)
“Apart from photography, what do you like to do?”

Apart from photography, I also like to paint, design with fabrics and write songs.

If you go to this link my blog Windows of My Life/Paintings , I have some of the folk art paintings that I have done on there.  I only have a few originals left around the house, most of them I sold through my Etsy Store Sundancer’s Art Adventures or on ebay.

My friend Sylvia Gauthier and I created a pattern company called Woolin Rouge.
Woolin Rouge is a cabaret of Folk Art designs.

Projects so easy anyone Can~Can do them!

Bigfork Bay Cotton Company is licensing the designs.

Here is the link to the first design called Star Light Snow Bright

What is really exciting is that there is a french magazine called Christmas Majic, that is featuring a design we created called Holly Birdie in its September issue.  The project is for a table runner, place mats, napkins and napkin rings.  We did a similar project called Hippie Birdie. We plan to do a table ensemble for every season.  next up is a chickadee with acorns and leaves for fall.

Check out Bigfork Bay Cotton Company’s blog to get an idea of the designs: Bigfork Bay Cotton Company Blog.

By the way, I don’t have any formal training as a painter.  I just love to paint and sketch.  It is one of my most favorite things to do in life.  When I am painting or sketching or doing anything creative I feel so tuned into who I truly am.  Alan Alda defines the creative process brilliantly,  ”the creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover is yourself.’

And I do so live writing songs.  They just come to me out of nowhere.  The first song I ever wrote was when I was 12 years old.  It’s a country western song called

He left Me in My Pick-Up and Left Tread Marks on My Heart.

I love the chorus:

Well he left me in my pickup

He left tread marks on my heart

I know he didn’t go alone cuz the truck needed a push to start

I’m so sad and I ‘m so lonesome

I’m so down and I’m so blue

Tell me what am I a poor young country girl to do.

My other favorite song I wrote is called

“Now that the Party is Over, Whose Gonna Clean Up the Mess?“

Here is how it starts out…

Now that the Party is Over, Whose Gonna Clean Up the Mess?

Now that honey our love has died

whose gonna sweep up the hurt inside

and how do I, do I know?

This heart ache that I feel is ever gonna, gonna ever go away?

Think I’ll ever make it to Nashville?

Oh and my other most favorite thing to do in life visit the Sundance Resort.

I feel so inspired there!

I think everyone in their lifetime should go there at least once!

By the way, I am the featured artist up there for the months of September -November:

http://www.sundanceresort.com/create/exhibits.html So if you are in that neck of the woods during that time, make sure you stop by and take a look!

ME- (The profound interviewer.)
“Do you have any advice you would like to give the world?  Anything….”

Yes, I do.  I do have some great advice to give the world…

One of my favorite quotes in the world is by Howard Thurman,

“Don”t ask what the world needs.
Rather ask – what makes you come alive?
Then go and do it!
Because what the world needs is people
who have come alive”

Cat Stevens sings it best in his song If You want to Sing Out

I listen to that song daily.

And also keep in mind what Sir Cecil Burton said “ Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.”

And last but not least, if you wake up one day and you feel like you’ve lost your way on your life’s journey, don’t lose heart.  Keep praying with moving feet and I guarantee if you do, you will find your way back to where you are suppose to be. The song Don’t Lose Heart by Dan Fogelberg will help remind you of that.

The next day about 11:00 am I remembered the painting!  I searched the artists name and was super excited to see he was an artist from Estonia (where is that?) and his art is really worth something. I found out some info on him, and I realized a  painting of his was auctioned off in 1989 for 150,000 eeks. So I’m all excited except I don’t know what eeks are and how much is that??? Well after some very excited searching for currency exchanges, some trial and maybe an error, I think it might be $18,000 bazillion dollars!  So I tear down to the thrift store to collect my gift from Osvald Eslon of Estonia/ticket to the Antique Roadshow.

Driving the whole way there I was terrified someone saw that same painting and bought it. Why didn’t I hide it? Or buy it.  I love that painting! It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen!

I parked.  Dashed in, eyes darting.  There it was!!! Holy Cow! I’m going to the Antique Roadshow!!! Trying to remain calm I gently picked it up, handled it a lot more carefully then the day before.  I took my beautiful painting to the counter. Now where I got the idea to say this I will never know. But remember I can be really cheap sometimes.  I said to the man working behind the counter , “Does your art ever go on sale?”
He said, “Yes”.
I said, “When?”
He said,” I make the sales.” And he picked it up to ponder the worth.
I said , “I really liked this painting yesterday but I would need to buy a frame…..”

He said, “1953, that’s old!  Look you can still see the paint by numbers lines. Har har har!

I forced a laugh here, and smiled at him letting him know how clever he was.

He said, “$37.50.  I said a little too quickly, “That sounds good.”  And I whipped out my credit card. With tax, it was $40.59!!!
I lovingly took my treasure home and am now an owner of an original Osvald Eslon that could be worth 150000 eeks, whatever that is!