Going Home While Staying Home— Marcia Wilson Holliway
Going Home While Staying Home— Marcia Wilson Holliway
Nebraska City based artist, Marcia Wilson Holliway grew up in the Florida Keys and graduated from the Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale in 1984 with a degree in Interior Design. Since then, she has explored several art forms including book binding, fiber art, and painting with watercolor, oils, and gouache.
Mid way through 2020, like many, Marcia was struggling with what to do with herself. "I had lost a lot. All of us had. Events, students, income and face to face connections. I had my studio, thankfully, however it was lonely there. I so wanted to take a trip somewhere, to escape this craziness we were living through. I wanted to “go home”. Home to the Florida Keys, where I was born, where I grew up. Where I knew I’d feel at home. Of course, that wasn’t an option."
Every time Marcia went to Instagram to see what everyone was up to, she’d see her niece Stephanie’s posts of well, home. "Her home. My home. She had photos of the blues and greens that bring peace and comfort to my soul." Marcia came up with the idea of asking for Stephanie's help and collaboration. NO, it wouldn’t be the same as being there in Plein Air, but it was something. She was in the right place and thankfully she was willing. We agreed that she would post one photo of her choice on Sunday for the last 6 months of 2020 and I’d use each one as a reference for paintings that week.
I gave myself limitations on size and shape to narrow things down and allowed myself to explore and play with a variety of mediums including watercolor, mixed media, Conte Crayons (soft pastel), oil pastel and gouache (my newest medium).
The Kimmel Harding Nelson Center is thrilled to share the images produced during that 6-month process that brought Marcia connections—to her family, and her home. All the connections that we were all longing for during a trying time of “staying home”. Read More