MariaSaracino's Blog

Special Assignments

mariasaracino — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 21:44:01 +0000

Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of a polymer clay artist’s studio? As someone deeply passionate about the art of polymer clay, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to dive into the world of experimentation, testing, and design with the Polyform Products Company who produce Sculpey, Premo and Living Doll polymer clays. These special assignments have not only allowed me to push the boundaries of my creativity but also provided invaluable insights into the endless possibilities of this versatile medium. Each assignment has been a thrilling adventure filled with challenges, discoveries and moments of pure artistic inspiration.

One of the exciting projects I’ve had the privilege to work on is testing and creating a skin color palette for the Living Doll Espresso color. A test box with the color chart I created is available through Sculpey with samples of the colors I used to create various skin tones.

As a continuation of this assignment I was also asked to design an art project that put to use some of the color mixes I created. Check out the finished sculpture. What do you think? Let me know if you are interested in a workshop for this project.

“Spirit of Fall“ – polymer clay, gold leaf, brass and wood

Www.saracinocollection.com

Www.saracinoartstudio.com

Instagram: mariasaracinoca

Heart and Stoke Foundation

mariasaracino — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 21:12:49 +0000

In support of the incredible work done by the Heart and Stroke Foundation, I am humbled to announce that I am donating a special sculpture for the upcoming Robe Rouge Gala on February 3rd. This is the second time my work has been selected for this cause. My first piece “Courage” raised $3,000 at this event in 2022 and I hope this weekend’s auction goes just as well. Here’s a look at “Strength”. She stands 28″ tall and is sculpted from Sculpey’s Living Doll Polymer Clay, textiles, resin and wood.

Heart health is a cause very close to my heart, and I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to contribute in this meaningful way. This sculpture is a small token of my dedication to the cause and my admiration for the fantastic efforts of the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

I want to also start informing you that I plan on making some changes regarding my social media presence. Due to an ongoing battle with hackers and account security on Facebook, I’ve made the decision to stop using this platform as of March 1st. Your safety and the integrity of our online interactions are important to me and after countless hacking attempts I’m throwing in the towel.

In the meantime I hope that you will follow my blog at MariaSaracino.com instead. If you are reading this story then you are on my blog site and all you have to do is scroll down until you see the “Follow” button on the right hand side. I try to post something about once a month to show you what I’m working on. However, just so I don’t quit all social media cold turkey, I will continue to stay connected on Instagram for now. Feel free to follow me on Instagram @mariasaracinoca for updates and more.

I appreciate your understanding and look forward to continuing our connection on safer and more enjoyable platforms.

Thank you for being a part of this digital journey with me!

You can also find me at http://www.saracinocollection.com and saracinoartstudio.com

The Wedding Cake Topper

mariasaracino — Tue, 19 Dec 2023 00:10:19 +0000

Hi Friends! I’m thrilled to share one of my latest creations – a personalized cake topper for a wonderful couple’s wedding! Portrait commissions are a big part of the art I create and it was a great honour to be asked to create this special piece for their special day. Months before, the bride shared some of the top secret details of their outfits so I could recreate them as closely as possible. Little details like her beautiful tattoos, her lace choker, the brocade pattern of his tuxedo jacket and rhinestone button details as well as the top hats and bouquet were included. Yet something was missing from the final composition. Some extra clay and paint and their fur babies wearing matching floral collars completed the portrait.

Congratulations to the happy couple!

Live Workshops Coming Soon

mariasaracino — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 22:41:52 +0000

Exciting News: Join Me at Stone Manor Studios This Fall!

I am thrilled to announce that this November, I will be teaching two workshops at the enchanting Stone Manor Studios, located in Newboro, Ontario, just an hour and 20 minutes away from Ottawa. Nestled in the heart of the countryside, Stone Manor Studios offers a truly picturesque setting that will inspire creativity and relaxation.

Breathtaking Scenery: Surrounded by stunning natural beauty, Stone Manor Studios is the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of city life. The tranquil landscapes will undoubtedly enhance your artistic experience.

Elegant Renovations: My workshops will take place in the newly renovated stone manor, where history meets modern comfort. The studio provides a unique blend of charm and sophistication, creating an ideal atmosphere for learning and creating.

Stay and Explore: Whether you’re looking for a day trip or an extended artistic retreat, Stone Manor Studios offers the flexibility to accommodate your plans. There are plenty of charming AirB&Bs in the area where you can make your stay as cozy as you like.

Delightful Dining: Indulge your taste buds in the culinary delights of the region. There are wonderful restaurants nearby, perfect for savouring delicious meals after a day of artistic expression.

Join me for an unforgettable experience in the heart of nature’s beauty, where creativity knows no bounds. Whether you’re a seasoned artist or a beginner eager to explore your talents, these workshops at Stone Manor Studios are designed for all skill levels.

Stay tuned for more details, including workshop schedules and registration information. Follow me for updates, and mark your calendars for a fall filled with creativity, camaraderie, and unforgettable memories.

I can’t wait to share this artistic journey with you at Stone Manor Studios in November. Get ready to embrace your inner artist in a truly inspiring environment!

The Story of Love Letters

mariasaracino — Fri, 22 Sep 2023 18:30:00 +0000

Several years ago, I created a sculpture that I put my heart and soul into. “Love Letters” brought me immense joy because I could see how it touched people. It stirs up feelings of love lost, loneliness, longing and memories of youth. As artists, our work is truly a success when it evokes emotions from our audience. This has always been the case with “Love Letters”. It stands out as one of my best works for this reason.

The collectors who purchased “Love Letters” have cherished her but imagined there was more to her story that needed to be told. Their appreciation for my work was so profound that they recently approached me and requested a companion piece to complement the original sculpture.

In the sculpture, the old woman is reading love letters from a young Corporal, his life cut short far too soon. The Memorial Cross was added to her left hand. This medal was presented to Mothers and wives of Vets who lost their life in active service, including peacekeeping missions. She feels his presence as his memory takes hold in a vision behind her, his fingers gently brushing her shoulder. Even though a life time has passed, the moment feels real and his memory is forever cherished.

I’m honoured to have been able to bring my client’s vision to life and completed the story of “Love Letters”. This journey of artistry and creativity has been truly rewarding.

http://www.saracinocollection.com

Courage and Strength

mariasaracino — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 11:00:00 +0000

As an artist, I get many requests to donate my work to various charities. Sometimes it’s hard to say no. Each cause has its merits and promises exposure, although exposure can be hard to measure and hard to use with the bill collector. As much as I want to help, it’s not possible to accommodate everyone. Because of this I set a personal and professional limit to 3 charity groups who I either donate my artwork or my time. For me it’s The Wabano Center for Aboriginal Health and The Boys and Girls Club which I am involved with through the National Capital Network of Sculptors. Both of these groups benefit from my time where I run free workshops or help coordinate public installations as well as benefit from my supplier contacts and product donations. The third group is flexible and I’ve worked with Crohn’s & Colitis, Ottawa Hospital and Cancer Research as well as the Rotary Club.

Last year I was asked to participate in an event for the Heart and Stroke Foundation and to create a special piece for the Gatineau chapter’s biggest fundraising event, La Robe Rouge Gala. The creative challenge was exciting but I also have a personal connection to this cause – Me!

I was born with a congenital heart defect that affects only 2% of the population and at some point in the future I will need surgery for a new aortic valve. I hope it will be very far in the future but as my cardiologist reminds me, it’s not about “if” it’s about “when” I will need the surgery. I am encouraged by new techniques in laparoscopic surgery that will make the process less invasive. In the meantime it means I have a little trouble keeping up on brisk walks and climbing a lot of stairs or anything aerobic. I was very lucky it was discovered early. Most people with this condition don’t know they have it until they experience their first heart attack. So with a little medication and supervision things continue to be stable for me.

What I’ve learned is that heart disease is the leading cause of premature death for women in Canada – 5x more than breast cancer! 53% of women who experience heart attack symptoms have them go unrecognized because many times the symptoms are different than for men yet 2/3 of all heart disease and stroke clinical research focuses on men. You can learn more about this at https://www.heartandstroke.ca/

Let’s get back to the Red Dress Gala. The challenge last year was to create a special figurative sculpture that embraced the “Red Dress” theme with the key word being “Courage”. Here is a photo of my submission. “Courage” was a big hit with the audience and after a quick and lively auction brought in $3,000 for the cause. Not only that, but she won the “Social Consciousness’ award in an international art competition and was featured in two Art Doll publications last year.

The next Red Dress Gala takes place in February 2024 and because of the success of including art in the fundraising experience, 12 artists have been selected to participate in this next event. The selection process for the event started at the end of 2022 where artists were asked to submit sketches or photos for the jurying committee to review. Below are the sketches I submitted, from which the committee selected “Strength”.

At this point she was just an idea. I worked on the sculpture over the next 5 weeks and submitted the final sculpture in mid February. She was officially unveiled along with the work of the other artists at the NAK Gallery last night. Tickets are being sold to win her along with the other 12 artworks. Tickets can be purchased at roberougegatineau@gmail.com with all proceeds going to the Heart & Stroke Foundation.

Now that the official unveiling has taken place, I can share her with you.

Here she is – 28″ tall, polymer clay, resin, textiles and wood-

powerful, resilient and courageous –

“Strength”

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

mariasaracino — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 12:00:00 +0000

It’s believed the origins of Carnevale date back to the 1,200’s in early Roman times. Of course, the Carnival of Venice is probably one of the most famous celebrations. Not just in Venice, all of Italy dresses up this month in incredible costumes and masks to celebrate during the 40 days before Easter. The word Carnevale is derived from the latin “carnem levare” which means “take away the meat” and refers to the day before the Christian period of Lent when people abstained from eating meat.

The jester is a common Carneval character and to celebrate February and Carnevale, I want to share a few of my jester characters. You can learn how to make these delightful busts in my e-class available at AforArtistic. Over the years I’ve made quite a few of these, but I’ve also explored some of the characters from Commedia dell’arte theatre, in particular the characters of Columbina and Pedrolino. Columbina, a maidservant, was often paired in love matches with Arlecchino (Harlequin) a mischievous character who was a little dim and always hungry and desperately in love.

The biggest and most exciting day of Carnivale is Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras. This year it lands on February 21st. I hope you’ll take some time to celebrate and as they say in New Orleans . . .

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

If you would like to learn how to make a jester bust, check out my e-class at AforArtistic. https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/680430769/e-class-carnival-time-in-venice-bust-by?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=aforartistic&ref=sr_gallery-6-10&organic_search_click=1

or check out all my classes at http://www.saracinoartstudio.com

Hocus Pocus

mariasaracino — Thu, 20 Oct 2022 11:30:00 +0000

I just watched Hocus Pocus 2 and it doesn’t matter whether you liked it or not – you have to agree, more than anything else, its just so much fun watching Bette Midler embrace the role of Winifred, the oldest of the three sisters. I love Halloween and I love witches. What’s the quote? “There’s a little witch in all of us”. I believe that and I embrace that mystical, magical, intuitive side of being a woman. It’s no wonder I’ve explored this character so much over the years. So . . . for throw-back Thursday and in anticipation of Halloween, here’s a little look back at just a few of my witches over the years.

Heirloom Santa Art Retreat

mariasaracino — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 02:07:57 +0000

Organizing a 4 day vacation art retreat took a lot of planning, especially trying to anticipated everything we would need, not only to work together, but to live together while creating. Other than forgetting blue paint for Santa’s eyes, I almost had it perfectly planned. Luckily I found a jar of blue paint in the garage and we were able to give Santa his magical twinkle.

The location was beautiful, on a lovely private lake in La Peche, Quebec. The participants were talented, interesting and a pleasure to work with, and I’m happy to say I now consider them life long friends. I’m thrilled and relieved to say my first retreat was a success. My students experienced several “AhhhHaaa!” moments and very important for me was that they completed their beautiful heirloom Polar Bear Santa’s in the allotted time.

I learned a lot too! Planning a little extra time for sight seeing is a must, as well as planning for flight delays and cancellations. Nonetheless, my out-of-town students got a condensed tour of Ottawa plus a side trip to the NAK Gallery to see my work. They also got a tour of my unrealistically clean and organized staged version of my home studio. It’s already back in working conditions again. One of the highlights of the retreat was the opportunity to test a new concept with my students and as I hoped, it’s a game changer for figurative artists. I have a few kinks to work out but I hope to share this with my other students very soon.

Although the next vacation retreat won’t be until next year, the same workshop project will be offered at the NAK Gallery over two weekends this October. Check the NAK Gallery website for more information coming soon.

Checking out The Tribal Series at the Nak Gallery with Debra McCormack from Colorado

Teresa McClennen from Texas checking out Mood Swings at the NAK

Debra, Irina and Teresa with their masterpieces

My Big News!

mariasaracino — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 18:33:46 +0000

I love creating figurative sculptures, portraits and other polymer art, but I also enjoy sharing my creative process, teaching both online and in live workshops. Making an heirloom Santa is my most requested workshop – but due to time and space restrictions I don’t offer this course very often. The pandemic hasn’t helped either, but this year is different. For the first time, I’m offering this heirloom Santa workshop as a vacation art retreat where we can submerge ourselves in the whole process and enjoy the company of fellow artists in a beautiful lake house in Quebec’s Outaouais region, just 40 minutes from downtown Ottawa and the Parliament Buildings. This all-inclusive 4 day, 5 night retreat includes accommodations, food and all supplies, materials and instruction, plus some bonus lessons and products exclusive to my live workshops.

Polar Bear Express

The project I’ve chosen is a unique presentation of a Northern Santa riding on a Polar Bear. Although the Polar Bear is a found object and I include it in the workshop, the Santa and each of his accessories and his basket will be hand-made during the retreat. It’s going to be an amazing 4 days of creativity. I can hardly wait to have this art retreat experience with you.

Only 5 spots are available. To find out more about my Heirloom Santa Retreat please visit my website at

https://saracinoartstudio.com