Marianna Smith

Artistic Aspirations

by penny a parrish

Friday events back then, it was hard to meet other artists. And when she did run into one at the gallery, she might not recognize them later because everyone was hidden behind a mask. As restrictions eased, Marianna became an integral and dynamic part of the team.

Marianna Smith , an artist at Brush Strokes Gallery, will be packing up her car this month and heading hundreds of miles north toSyracuse NY. While we are sad to see her leave town, we are excited for her and her new adventure: pursuing a MFA (Master of Fine Arts) in illustration at Syracuse University

Marianna comes from a military and multi-cultural family. Her father was with the U S Marine Corps, and met her mom in Brazil. Marianna has visited Sao Paulo several times. Perhaps her creative spark can be traced to her grandmother who still lives there, and enjoys making jewelry, clothing and fiber art. Because of her background, Marianna wants to specialize in stories and illustrations for Latin American kids

Wherever she ends up, those of us in the Burg can say "We knew her when!"

You can follow Marianna Smith's artistic journey through her website: mariannasmith com

Penny A Parrish is a member of and past-President of Brush Strokes Gallery.

Marianna's ties to our area are strong. She graduated from Chancellor High School in 2016, and from VCU in May of 2020 with a degree in Communication Arts. By 2021 she was teaching art in her former high school, with students at all levels from Art 1 to AP classes. Her two years of teaching gave her an opportunity to mentor several talented students. One in particular stands out, and Marianna has encouraged her to apply to VCU to study art. "She was an absolute joy to work with," says Marianna. "She invented her own techniques like working with oil sticks and a palette knife. It was great fun to watch her grow." Marianna says the students made teaching enjoyable and she hopes to stay in touch with many of them.

When Marianna joined Brush Strokes in 2020, it was a weird time due to COVID. The gallery was only open a few days a week, and with the lack of First donatelifevirginia.org

When you ask Marianna to choose her favorite artistic medium, she responds with a puzzled look. They are ALL her favorites because each method produces a different feel and smell. But there is no doubt that her favorite style is children's illustrations. She has selfpublished a graphic book "Astropals," created art for two different children's authors, and imagined her own artistic versions of stories in the public domain such as "The Velveteen Rabbit." She is especially drawn to little critters like mice and hamsters, but also finds joy in illustrating people. She has dabbled with computer art. It's a quicker and easier way to fix mistakes than a watercolor, for example, and you don't have to wait for art to dry like you do with oil. But the lack of a tactile presence makes it a bit cold and disconnected. Give her pens, ink, brushes and paint instead.

Marianna plans to return to Fredericksburg and show her new art during summers at Brush Strokes. When asked what she hopes to be doing five years from now, she wants to be teaching art at the college level and work with mainstream publishers and authors to showcase her art. The possibility of teaching at VCU and coming full circle, also appeals to her.

Sarah Perry , our Executive Director for 10 years, is moving on! While we will miss her, we are grateful for the time, sweat, and tears she has put into our organization. We know she is going to do great things!

We managed to grab her for a few minutes to ask her a few things about her time here…

Q: Proudest moment?

A: The first Youth Farm Program Dinner Watching the kids proudly making and serving food that they grew to their families still brings tears to my eyes. It was so rewarding.

Q: What goals did you achieve?

A: I saw the potential of the space and the opportunity to engage with our community through youth programming and other programs.

Q:Favorite Programs DTG?

A: Currently the Cocktail Workshop Series