Welcome!
Marla Anderson studied at UCSD, Grossmont College and Point Loma City College, where she learned drawing, painting, metalsmithing, bronze casting, sculpture and glass fusion. When she discovered the beauty of vitreous enamel fused to metal, she fell in love with the vibrant colors of the medium. Most of her work is a combination of the disciplines she studied. Today, she operates a home studio where where she creates her work and offers individual instruction. Believing "There is always more to learn" she continues to take classes from other artists. In creating her enamel peices, she uses a variety of techniques including cloisonne, sgraffito, silkscreening, stenciling, basse-taille, and champleve. She also enjoys experimenting with decals, millefiore, crayons and paints. Each work is handcrafted and one of a kind - sometimes classic, sometimes organic, and often humorous. The results make her smile and she hopes the same will be true for others. Enjoy taking a look at her work and consider adding a piece to your collection.
She has devoted a gallery on her website to the work of her son, Ryan Anderson, who has a degree in graphic design and multi-media marketing. For years, he specialized in event photography, but as his migraines grew more frequent and severe, photographing loud musical events was no longer an option. He has since found a way to express his artistic talents by using his art to communicate how he sees the world when experiencing a migraine aura.
Ryan explains his creative process as follows:
“I start with a digital image of the subject I wish to render then distort the image to demonstrate what my brain does when suffering a severe migraine aura. For those who have never experienced a migraine aura, it distorts what a person sees in a way that is somewhat similar to visual hallucinations. My artistic process includes shifting light levels, color saturation, or other aspects of the original image. I paint over the original photo by hand, using a pen or bush stylus which feel and responds to my hand movements just like a real pen or brush. I am unable to use oil or acrylic paints due to the noxious fumes which can trigger another migraine.
My brilliantly colored artwork has been described as beautiful, calming and thought provoking.
The purpose of my art is to communicate what migraine sufferers experience in a way that is understandable to those who never have.. I have been told that my altered images are recognizable to other migraine sufferers and informative to the general population, exactly my goal."