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 Marita is a Northwest native whose studio is at beautiful Priest Lake, Idaho, specializing in calligraphic art pieces and sculpture. She welcomes special orders and commission work.
She began working in calligraphy in 1965 in her hometown of Portland, Oregon, when Lloyd Reynolds was actively acquiring aficionados of the craft. She has taught calligraphy from beginning through advanced levels since 1975 in Washington, Oregon, Montana, California, Wisconsin and Idaho. She continues to study the calligraphic arts by frequent attendance at workshops.
Marita has been very active in the local calligraphic societies in the areas in which she has resided. After leaving Spokane where she was a co-founder of the Scripts and Scribes, she lived in Madison, Wisconsin, and became President of the Wisconsin Calligraphers Guild. The membership grew during her tenure, and fostered the development of serious talents in several local calligraphic artists. Upon moving to Ventura County, California, she joined the Society for Calligraphy Los Angeles, Santa Barbara Chapter, and was active in presenting calligraphic demonstrations, teaching as well as attending workshops, and coordinating calligraphic fairs in the area. At that time, she was a member of the Malibu Art Association, during which time her full watercolor sheet presentation of Chief Seattle's Speech won Honorable Mention in the Mixed Media category of the Annual Malibu Art Association Juried Art Show.
Most of her commercial work consists of reproductions of her original calligraphy, presented in an original format utilizing collage techniques with unique papers, hand made and hand colored papers, and found objects, making each piece one-of-a-kind.
She has a series of greeting cards produced from a selection of these pieces, which are scanned and printed on her computer. Original works are usually rendered in gouache (opaque watercolor) rather than ink on fine art papers.
Marita began sculpting in 1986 under the tutelage of Kay Henkel in Palm Springs, and works primarily in porcelain. Faces and horses usually decorate delicate but strong functional bowls and vases. Her sculptures include a series of Pioneer Women and Mother Earth figures.
Both her calligraphy and porcelain sculptures and functional pieces are available at Art Works Gallery in Sandpoint Idaho and at the Entree Gallery on Reeder Bay Road, Nordman at Priest Lake. Be sure to visit these Galleries when you can - whether on line or in person!
Marita and her husband Tom reside year-round at Priest Lake. Tom works in pine log furniture. Their grown daughters reside in Colorado and Southern California.
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