Check Out Marlaina Faye’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marlaina Faye.

Hi Marlaina, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hello, thank you for inquiring about my business.  My name is Marlaina Faye and I am a Modern Impressionist Mixed-Media painter here in the Boulder, CO area.  Painting has always been my passion.  Although, actually when I was young, I used to dream of being an actress, attracted to the excitement and drama of films and television. The costumes, make-up, and the huge personalities enchanted me. After I moved to Los Angeles, I jumped into the whole Hollywood scene. While working on a Disney short and an independent film I quickly realized that the set designs were more my pace and began creating amazing spaces for people to enjoy that would bring them happiness and excitement for years. This new career led me down a long road of creating faux finishes and murals for both residential and commercial spaces.

I was hired by a very talented woman who did spectacular faux finishes and murals for celebrities. On my first day, I found myself in a beautiful home where my favorite childhood soap opera star lived. I was so nervous, but relieved when told she wouldn’t be home. Later, my employer said she needed to leave early, and asked if I could explain our idea for the next part of the project to the owner when she returned. Since she was so glamorous on the soap opera, I imagined she would be all dolled up in heavy makeup and dripping with diamonds as she pranced through the room with her head and nose up high.

Then, I laughed at myself and thought stop being ridiculous she is going to be a normal person! Well, an hour went by, and I heard the door open and she was home. I had to gather my courage to walk downstairs and approach the television star… Finally, I did it! I turned the corner to meet the “normal person “ in her living room and there she was… sitting back in a plush lounge chair with her feet up resting on a satin pillow there was a woman at her feet polishing her toenails. She looked up at me and I almost lost my voice. When I spoke, she smiled and was a very “normal” and super friendly person. She loved what I was doing for her son’s room and my confidence shot through the roof.

Returning to my hometown of NYC, I continued to create fabulous spaces for the hottest restaurants, nightclubs, and bars in addition to spectacular apartments and lobbies. I created fantastic textures and murals that brought color, personality, and life. Several clients continued to request works on canvas instead of the walls. This became the perfect next chapter in my story.

Motherhood caused a realization that my wildlife of traveling and working insane hours at restaurants and bars would no longer be conducive, so I created a home studio and “limited” my projects to involve only canvas paintings. This was so freeing and unbelievably surprising! I realized that I had found my true “passion”, creating pieces from my inspiration.

As a psychology major, I gained an understanding of humanity which I attempt to reflect in my work. The goal is to evoke emotion. I always wanted to help people bring more joy to their life. After years of working in the field and seeing how difficult life can be, I realized I wanted to bring as much happiness laughter, and beauty as possible. In a world that can be so judgmental and unforgiving I am drawn to creating pieces that can influence others bring them a sense of warmth and allow them to lose themselves for a moment while they hopefully discover that life can be what we choose to make it.

When my son turned 2, we moved to the Boulder area to be close to family. Once settled I found a fantastic class/workshop with Jacque Michelle. Although I had been painting for years I needed someone to push me in a different direction. Jacque is encouraging while she is open to bringing in new ideas and techniques that she discovers from past and current painters. Every week, I look forward to painting with Jacque Michelle in addition to the other fabulous women who inspire me in so many ways. I love those ladies! I joke with Jacque and say “You better be teaching this class forever because I will be attending through my 90s! “.

An artist never stops learning we always evolve as individuals and need to be open to developing our craft no matter what we choose to do in life. I also paint with Lael Har whose work has inspired me to become much looser with my style. This is precious to me since I have been too hung up on detail in the past. Don’t get me wrong, detail can be enchanting, but every single detail doesn’t need to be so obvious. I love to leave some areas for the viewer to use their imagination.

Many of my pieces have been inspired by the spectacular scenery in the Colorado area. Some of my creations are landscapes, animal paintings, and still lifes. I would describe my “style” as Modern Impressionism. I am a Mixed-Media painter, drawn to very intense colors and textures that I used through my faux finishing in the past. I love to include gorgeous papers that I find and sometimes recycle. The paper and textures that I use represent the variety of textures seen as one explores the incredible landscapes of the Colorado Mountains. My art journey always feels fresh to me. Every day I am awed and inspired by something new.

Maybe something that I see; an intense sunset; a beautiful abandoned barn, or a cute Llama that stops me on the side of the road. It might be another person, or artist as well. People can inspire ideas and unleash our creative flow when we open our ears and hearts to allow the positive energy to come in and give us what we crave. I am excited to continue my personal artist path and I am already working on my next series!

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My biggest obstacle has been taking myself too seriously and questioning each move. When I’m creating my art, I push myself to access my inner child and become more playful. This has made me appreciate myself and the world around me. My goal is to help others see things more positively and hopefully realize the value of being more accepting of others.

Another obstacle arose when I founded a company with Annemarie Flynn that we named Evolving Image. We created faux finishes, architectural finishes, and murals for both residential and commercial spaces. When we first began our partnership, we had to take any project that came our way. Although we lived in Manhattan, we were not getting enough work to pay the bills, so we accepted projects that were as far as south New Jersey. That job required us to be there by 7:00 am sharp. This was very difficult for two artists especially since we didn’t have our car.

Luckily, Annemarie was given the use of her very supportive brother’s car. We left by 5:00 am ready for the traffic and horrendous forecast that was given. The freezing rain was coming down hard and somehow it was hitting our feet. There was no heat, so we were bundled up with two jackets each. I was shivering while she rolled down the window to hand over the money for the toll. As she pulled away, I asked why she wasn’t closing the window and she handed it to me, the massive piece of glass that had just fallen out from the door. We were laughing so hard that it kept us a little bit warmer for the remainder of the treacherous ride…

Whenever I find myself creating something that isn’t my vision I try to learn from that experience. As an artist, I always bring a piece of myself into my creations.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Currently, I am a member of EBCA (East Boulder County Artists) and Boulder Open Studios. I show my work from my studio during the Open Studios Tours. In addition, my work can be seen in several places around town including restaurants, coffee shops, and galleries.

I offer a free consultation to bring pieces to people’s homes. This way they can see what works in their space and I also can create a custom painting.

Contact Info:

• Website: marlainafaye.com
• Instagram: @marlainafaye
• Telephone: 310-420-1435

Image Credits
Joel Rosen