"MCA Art & Graphic Studio" - Manta website

"MCA Art & Graphic Studio" 

The name "MCA Art & Graphic Studio" for my freelance art business was originally birthed on a school-related field trip due to the rules for each one of us drafting and design students to make a name for either a company where anyone of us may have worked or a made-up name.  Since I already had experience as a freelance artist for an advertising agency and with my expertise of house portraits for various clients, the light bulb finally clicked. I wanted to call it by either my name or initials, plus adding an art and graphic related association.    Voila! Good idea at a great time.

I designed and painted onto an eighth of an inch thin plywood board advertising my freelance art and graphic studio.  I made the initials to be the largest so it can take at least fifty per-cent of the sign.  The large periods that are added between my initals are used for distinction.  My full name is located beneath the initials as one-eighth of that sign.  My other talents that are listed take three-eighth of this sign which are located at the bottom.

My business name was almost immediate; however, the logo took much longer since I was seeking an exact style that reflected my personality. I feel that my business cards and logo with the sign make it stand out with an added “pop”.

My Manta site is listed below for your convenience. 

http://www.manta.com/c/mxfrjbt/mca-arts-graphic-studio

Windshield Patterns

"Windshield Patterns"

There was something very special about watching the windshied wipers continuously make a pattern on the windshield in a back-and-forth motion during a rainy day.  This time was even more of a certain type of coincidence as well special time because it was at least a month after John F. Kennedy's assassination, and I sence a certain type of heaviness that was still lingering around America then.  Oddly enough, I was at the age of four at that particular time and could not totally process all of the political events that were really swirling around our country at that time. For a very long time, I have referred to rain as God's tears - especially when it was at least a month since that presidential assassination.  Yes, that was a very tragic time in America, however; we as Americans grieved for a while and then we began to carry on with our lives...  

Now, it was a little over a month after that tragic event, but many people, like my family and I tended to carry on - especially as we as a family were traveling from Tuscaloosa to both Prattville and then on to Montgomery to spend the Christmas holidays with our relatives.  My father was the one who drove the then-new station wagon, my mother was sitting by the window with a big overcoat over both her legs and lap, I was sitting between both parents, all of my three siblings were sitting in the back seat, and last but not least, our pieces of luggage were in the back deck.

With all of those events that were swirling across America, people as well my family and me were getting into the holiday traveling season, I as a child found myself so mesmerised by the repetitive patterns of the windshild wipers onto the windshield during a rainy winter day.

Title: "Windshield Patterns"

Size: 8" W X 6" H

Media: Watercolor on drawing paper.

Price and Purchasing Ideas... 

Please check out Daily Paintworks, under the "Blame It On The 

Rain" Challenge.

                                                  

"Think Positive" (Sign)

"Think Positive"

Philippians 4:4-8

(Plaque)

"Think Positive" is a sign that encorages positive thinking with a Bible verse that validates the importance of thinking positive.  This particular sign was an inspiration of my mother due to her "Advice To The Bride" at one of  my bridal showers.  It was about three years ago when I both copied the letters and words in the style of that text book cursive writing while I was making this sign.

* "Philippians 4:4-8" - Bible verse references which are some of my most favorite Bible verses

                                because they are so uplifting  The Bible verses go like this:
                                V. 4 - "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again, I say, Rejoice.
                                V. 5 - " Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand."
                                V. 6 - "Be careful for nothing: but in every thing by prayer and supplication
                                           with thanksgiving let your requests be known unto God."
                                 V. 7 - "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep
                                           your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
                                 V. 8 - "Finally, bretheren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things
                                            are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure,
                                            whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report;
                                            if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

                                  (Please note that I copied these verses from the King James Version.)

Title: "Think Positive"

Media: Acrylics with Mixed/Media on White Easter pine wood

Size: 16" W X 5 1/2" H X 3/4" T

Note: Please see this sign on my Etsy shop at
Etsy.com/shop/marycaikens1artlady

  
       

LuKe Sha - African-American Angel Doll

"LuKe Sha"

(African-American Angel Doll) 

LuKe Sha is a story about an African-American lady who later as pictured as a true angel because she went back into a burning apartment to rescue her neighbor's crippled wife.  Although, LuKe Sha was (probably still a single mother) who reared two children alone.  One day (or night), there was a bad fire that broke out in the same unit where LuKes Sha and her children were living at that time.  First, LuKe Sha rescued both of her children and then she took a real big chance to go back into that building and rescued her neighbor's crippled wife, and then she experienced  severe burns all over her body.  However, I am 
not quite sure if she survived that fire, but she can be really looked upon as an angel because of her efforts.

My friend made this doll which her head and hands are made of clay, her dress is made of tapestry. Her wings are made of feathers, She stands at two feet tall and weighs somewhere around 3 to 6 pounds.

Title: "LuKe Sha" (African-American doll) 

Price: $80.00  SOLD! (04/20/2013) (Doll is no longer available)


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Back Creek Church Barn

"Back Creek Church Barn"

I love painting pictures of barns - especially when they give me that certain Americana feeling.  There are a majority of times when I pass this barn as I commute to work every morning.  On some mornings, I can see
such a beautiful and picturesque view while I am waiting at the light.  It took some time before I started painting this piece due to my study of this barn scene along with that silo with the cross on it.  What even makes this barn and its silo so special is that it actually belongs to Back Creek Presbyterian Church where it is located between the northeast part of Charlotte and Harrisburg  in North Carolina.  From what I have been told was that this particular barn was once owned by a godly farmer who gave his barn to the church. 

As far as the materials that it took to paint the picture of this barn is that I used a quite different type of paper which is the backing of a grasscloth wall paper.  It is not really unusual that I use unusual types of mediums because I want to add more feeling to that painting.  However, this type of painting added both warmth as well a certain feeling of nostalgia especially when it comes for me to paint a subject matter such as this and other barns.


Title: "Back Creek Church Barn"

Medium: Watercolor on Grass cloth Backing

Size: 14" W X 11"H (Painting only)
         20" W X 16" H (Frame only)
         13 1/2" W X 10 1/2" H (Matte Opening only)

Price: $250.00 (Currrency Converter)

Shipping/Handling Charges: $30.00 - Includes Insurance, Delivery Confirmation,
                                                         & Shipping/Handling charges



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"George's Angel" (from "The All About Me" painting challenge)

"George's Angel"

This painting challenge through the Daily Paintworks in "The All About Me" challenge was not one of the easiest of me to paint - especially a portait in watercolor. It was also very  time-consuming  because I wanted to get this picture "right" for George for our twenty-seventh wedding anniversary especially when it came to copying from a very classic painting of me.

This was me while wearing a wedding dress on Saturday, June 9, 1984.  That dress was the exact style of wedding dress that I really wanted to wear at my wedding.  Oddly enough, a long-time friend as well a wife of one of George's cousin offered to lend me her wedding dress.  Lo and behold, when I came by and picked up her wedding dress, I saw that dress was the same style that I dreamed about to wear.  I can really say that I talked about a real "blessing".  Yes, that dress, too, fit perfectly - no fittings of anykind which I can sing "Glory Hallelujah".

 This picture was taken shortly before I married to a very special man named George who often calls me "Angel".  While I was posing for my pre-wedding pictures, I was thinking and mesmurizing about the wedding along with thinking about all of the anticipation of walking down that aisle with my father as he was going to "give" his "baby daughter" away to George.  This is still a favorite picture of myself  of me standing near a fountain in the courtyard of the same church where I mainly grew up during my childhood, teen, and most of my college years along with the rest of my siblings.  My wedding color was dark pink which was almost like red - which could be like a deep pink Crepe Myrtle or...kinda like a "Tickle Me Elmo" shade of dark pink.  all of the bride's maids except fot the flower girl wore the same shade of dark pink long dresses   However, the groom's men, best man, ring-bearer, and not to forget, my father all wore black tuxedos with white shirts and bow ties.

That may have been a very brief moment in my life but it as well a very classic moment that makes it so special enough to be captured in a photograph, and then later into a painting.  This picture's title is the reason why I call it "George's angel" mainly because he still calls me "Angel".

Title: "George's Angel"

Media:  Watercolor on grasscloth backing

Size:  6" W X 10" H

Price:  Please contact me about the price through e-mail @ marycaikens@gmail.com

"Dear Santa..." Plaque

"Dear Santa,...  I can explain"

(Carved Plaque)

Here is a letter that I could always write to Santa Claus every year because there is always something about me that I love to "cut up" such as "being a clown".  When I was a child, one of the only methods that my family used on me was by them telling me that "If I am good, Santa Claus will bring me toys, and if I am bad, I will get a bag of switches."   I used to be more of that rambunctious child who always needed to be corrected.  Basically, I really wanted to be "good", but there were at times when I really tested people's nerves - especially with my family.  

Praise The Lord, my family still love me even when I am now an adult and that I do not need to worry about "being good for Santa Claus".  

It was a few years ago when I saw a co-worker wore a t-shirt that said, "Dear Santa,...  I can explain".  I told her that I can very well understand that feeling along with chuckling about it...   It were those words that really inspired me to make this particular plaque.  

You can see this plaque on my Etsy wall at Etsy.com/shop/marycaikens1artlady.  Yes, I do either accept PayPal or credit cards at this site.  

Thank you, 

Mary Compton  Aikens, Artist  :-)