March/April 2018 Issue of Westsound Home & Garden
See Mardie on Page 50 - 54
Signature Status with Portrait Society of America
What does this mean to Mardie?
"I decided to pursue sculpture as my medium because I so enjoyed my first portrait sculpting class - cutting into clay open lips and piercing eyes. I have always been most fascinated by the beauty and soul that is visible on the human face and it is with great care...Read the Full Story Here I have tried to capture these qualities in each portrait I create. I am truly honored to be recognized and included with the many artists both past and present who pursue portraiture at it's finest. Receiving recognition for the quality of my work is the encouragement I need to continue the creative journey both in the high and low points of my career."
What is Signature Membership?
After garnering multiple awards from the Portrait Society of America, Mardie was recognized as an established artist in the field of Portraiture. Signature Status recognizes those practicing and accomplished artists who are dedicated to the educational mission and high aesthetic standards of the Portrait Society of America. The artist's work must consistently demonstrate a high level of skill and sophistication of aesthetics. This honorary status grants the right to artists to use the initials of the organization (PSS-Portrait Society Signature) on all personally created works as an indication of their harmonious high standards and goals, to create, to advance and to share.
The Guardian Glows
After much deliberation and planning "The Guardian" (Raphael the Archangel) was installed in CHI Franciscan's Virtual Critical Care Clinic in Tacoma, Washington. My husband, Jeremy, of Broderick Design Build crafted a beautiful frame for the cast blue leaded crystal angel. The Vertical Grain Douglas Fir panels complete with blue windows set off the angel perfectly. I couldn't be more pleased with the final results of this project.
I had some fun taking photos of the installation process since a manhole had to be created to access the light from inside as well as a few horizontal boards had to be attached after the angel was secured in place. To read about this piece you can go to the Commissions page
Raphael the Archangel
I have been working on a bas-relief for a Tacoma (Wa.) Virtual Heart Monitoring Clinic run by CHI Franciscan Health. They desperately needed a work of art that would inspire the team day to day and be a focal point in their building. They approached me looking for a piece of stained glass because they wanted color and something to glow while hung in their windowless building. I wanted to sculpt a work of art that would be meaningful in the context of their Clinic. The solution: blue cast leaded crystal
Inspired by the many bas relief roundelsI saw in Florence Italy, I chose Raphael the Archangel as the perfect subject. Raphael the Archangel is commonly referred to in the Christian tradition as the Angel that performs all manners of healing. Describing his role as written in the story of Tobias (book of Tobit), he protected Tobit on his journey while concealing his identity. He later reveals himself to Tobit and heals Tobit's father, Tobias from blindness. Raphael has become the patron of travelers, the blind, happy meetings, nurses, physicians, medical workers, and matchmakers. In recent years Raphael has become depicted more as what we commonly refer to as "The Guardian Angel."
In my version of Raphael, he holds an orb with beams of light emanating from within. I focused on detailing his powerful arms and chest and the weightiness of his wings. The wings are modeled on those of the famed Condor, whose wingspans can reach an astounding ten feet!
Leaded cast glass held up in the shop. I'm so excited to get this new piece installed with proper lighting