Art by Marcia Furman: March 2014

March 24, 2014

Sketching in the Dominican Republic!

I had the honor of going to the Dominican Republic for the third time last week! That place is truly inspiring in every way. I did a ton of painting including, a mural, church logo and lots of "urban sketching." I could paint endlessly in the DR. So many colors and such beauty.

This week I'll post one sketch a day over on my "more overflow" sketching blog. Check it out!

March 5, 2014

Our time living in Northern Virginia/Washington DC

Some of you may have heard that Travis and I are moving back to our home town of Butler, PA! We're very excited about this. I've been trying to come up with words to express my thoughts about our time here in Alexandria. I always wanted to live somewhere else at least once in my life, so when Travis got offered the job we went for it. It was so hard to leave Dustin at home and take a leap of faith. I missed him so much but thankfully with texting and facetime it really wasn't too bad. Travis and I got to experience some new things...such as relaxation! We realized how over extended we were back in Butler. We committed to way too much and were just WAY too busy. Here in Virginia we got to step back and enjoy life a little more. It was a wonderful time to just hang out with Travis and have an adventure. We did SO MUCH bike riding and it was fabulous! We took lots of walks and explored Washington DC. We went out on dates. Well I mean, our whole life down here was one big date! It was great. I became an avid reader! Now THAT'S crazy. I never thought I'd blow through 29 books in one year, but that's what happened! I had fun living in a small apartment and appreciated the ease of cleaning it. Somehow through it I learned to appreciate minimalism (kinda sorta). I now love to declutter and don't hold on to anything that just takes up space. Those are just some of the fun I will never forget.

At the same time we never really settled in. People here are different and it wasn't really what I expected. I guess I thought it was going to me more like a "regular" big city. I think DC area is different than usual cities. So many people are only here for short periods of time. It's a very transient place. I really yearned to go back to where I could be with friends AND make friends easily (which really did not happen here.) The crafting community wasn't the same either. Shows were sparse, more expensive and harder to get into. This place just wasn't for me.

So anyway, Travis applied for some other jobs and we now are able to transfer back. We still have our old house in Butler, so it should be an easy transition! I'm excited to get back into my old studio and do a little redecorating! By the end of April we should be settled back in. I'm so looking forward to being back home. I love Butler and I love Pittsburgh! Yinzer for life! :D

I'm very thankful for this great adventure for the last year and a half. It was exactly what we needed and the way it was meant to be. I'm now excited for the next chapter.

March 3, 2014

Neko and Elora meet Doge!

Neko and Elora met Doge!!! What a grand day!

Now the real reason I took my camera outside. . . to measure the snow! Only 4.5". Bummer.

The National Zoo

Yesterday we took a little outing to The National Zoo. I wanted to grab some of their smashed pennies and possibly see the baby panda. I didn't get to see Bao Bao, due to afternoon nap. BUMMER! But we still got to see one of the adult pandas which was super exciting!