MeRRy ChRISTmas-

("Exhale", acrylic on canvas, 2011)

wishing all a very MeRRy ChRISTmas!

-M.ELLIOTT

18 days remaining,

. . . and I am NOT referring to shopping days until Christmas.

There are 18 days remaining in 2011, which means, it is

not too late to finish out your intentions for this year!

It is hard to believe the new year is upon us as I consider

the joYs and challenges this year has brought.

My number 1 intention for 2011 was to help those suffering;

this was not something that sprung from me, but sprung out of

my own painful ordeal with a brown recluse spider bite in the earlier

part of the year. I am so grateful to have had insurance

at the time of my spider bite, and realize

what a gift that was to me!

My heart became filled with compassion and the desire to

extend that gift to others, which is how I got involved with

Bridges to Care Plus.

BTC Plus provides speciality care for Nashville's uninsured,

with over 1,000 physicians volunteering their time and services.

Side-by-side, I worked with BTC Plus to design a T-shirt

that will bring awareness to the organization and

help provide fundingto those in need of its services.

To find out more about this project click here!

NashvilleArts Magazine: M.Elliott/A Self-Portrait

What an amazing and unexpected interview from the

NashvilleArts Magazine!

A HUGE thank you to Editor in Chief -Paul Polycarpou, Writer -Joe Pagetta, and Photographer -Hunter Armistead!!

December 2011 issue

For artist Margaret Elliott, life is like a squiggly line. “I think it’s a little unexpected,” she says of her signature decorative accoutrement, which tends to appear via a drag of a thin brush on the majority of her paintings. It’s a warm, early fall day in Nashville, and Elliott, sipping an iced Americano on the patio of the Frothy Monkey in the 12 South Neighborhood, is offering up a little of her artistic—and life—philosophy.

“If you translate that into life, we think that things should be ‘this way’—you have to have a plan—but then for whatever reason, life takes different turns, and there’s something unexpected, and I like that. It’s more about the process than getting there sometimes.”

Click here to continue reading the full article!

happy thanks(ful)giving-

what a wonderful time of year to meditate on

thankfulness and GRATITUDE

(acrylic on canvas, M.ELLIOTT, 2011)

. . .

this time last year i was struggling emotionally and physically through the trauma of a brown recluse spider bite, resigned to spending another day recouping after yet another surgery(!) rather than joining family for fellowship and the usual clamor of pots, pans, and china coming together in a fantastic feast. this year, i will be fulfilling one of my 2011 New Year's Intentions, by participating in the now legendary BLVD BOLT.

GRATITUDE

(*like i said, 3 surgeries in 3 months, will make you grateful for your two legs and the mobility that those two legs provide

. . . i plan to RUN a road race in gratitude and thanksgiving for the mobility that i have been re-given!)

(*Since 1994, the Boulevard Bolt has grown from 2,500 participants to over 8,700 participants in 2010. Today, the Boulevard Bolt ranks among the largest 5-mile races in the country. More importantly, it has donated $1.6 million to the homeless community in Nashville.)

Expressions of Emotion-

Margaret Elliot Art: Expressions of Emotion

The first time I saw one of Margaret Elliot's paintings I was immediately drawn to it. I don't know if it was the colors or the line drawing, but it was full of energy, life and nothing like I'd ever seen.

Since then I've always been a huge fan of hers and in 2010 we finally met while we were both in The Harding Art Show. It was an honor to show our work together just a few booths apart. One thing is for sure, her paintings were flying off the wall.

She has also had quite a lot of success in Nashville getting the attention of Music City's largest collectors. She sells her work among Nashville's most popular painters and just recently became a featured artist at the prestigious Nina Kuzina Fine Art gallery at Loews Vanderbilt Hotel.

Today I'm featuring her beautiful music inspired work, but don't be fooled, she paints sailboats, sheep, cows, fish, portraits, chairs, flowers and pretty much anything that inspires her. So please enjoy her art, as I know you will and check out her website for more paintings and information. She frequently shows at Middle Tennessee's largest art events, so keep an eye out for her, say hello and buy a painting -- it will be a great investment!

A BIG thank you to Beth Inglish (an equally talented visual and musical artist) for her kind remarks about my artwork! Check out her great 'work' by following this link to her "NASHVILLE's MUSIC AND ART" blog!!

happy halloween~

{studio companion, adler, dressed as a "sweet green pea"}

from the studio, wishing all a

hAppy hAlloween

filled with lots of

sUgaR!

let's talk about hAiR!

it has only taken me 10yrs (ha!) to find "the" salon in nAshville, and i am sharing the secret with you! a chance meeting on a flight out of nASHville i met Shawn and the ensuing conversation lead to the discussion of occupations . . . a few weeks later i am walking out of his posh salon with a sassy new bob and color! eXceptional service from everyone, and did i mentions the luxurious back massage included with the hair wash! . . . i am a loyal client now!

check out their website here!

papaw's sheep

(acyrlic on canvas, 2011, M.Elliott)

i am always reminded of my papaw's "farm" when i around barnyard animals. as a child i loved visiting my grandparents in north alabama and getting to go to work with my papaw. after retiring from the real estate business he opened a feed store, that wasn't much more than a dusty old four sided building with bags of feed stacked on top of crates sitting on the floor, an occasional litter of puppies or kittens out front and a barn in the back that housed chickens, sheep and goats, rabbits and from time to time a horse,

. . .but to me it was a farm full of imagination! i know my papaw would be pleased to see me painting sheep!

three sheets-

(Three Sheets, acyrlic on canvas, 2011, M.Elliott)

When you’ve lost faith in yourself,

Let me l i f t the weight of sorrow,

Blow wind into your sail.

-copied

A big "thank you" to my dear friends

for rescuing me in the middle of the night.

darn spIders! got the best of me, but

got a little wind back in my sail.

SOLD!

("Graciousness", acrylic on canvas, 2011, M.Elliott)

how precious is GOD's grace

. . .

on a day that seems to rattle every laSt nerve,

experiencing affirmation and grace from the

ONE who is faithful, is restoring!

clearing and spinning-

(acyrlic on canvas, 24"x48", M.Elliott)

clearing and "spinning plates" that is . . .

its the turning of SEASONS that seems to aGitate a certain state of balance. the steam of hot summer days is slowly giving way to cooler fall winds. this subtle shift becomes a tension between the longing for the l o n g summer days to never end and an eagerness for that first crisP fall morning. its the anticipation of change.

its the clearing of a good Midsummer's feast,

spinning and turning plates, awaiting the haRvEST of fall.

Dilly Milly

(Dilly Milly, acrylic on canvas, 2011, M.Elliott)

i met sweet and curious miss "dilly milly"

on a farm in nashville, tn. i was reminded of her as i spent 8hrs in the car this weekend driving to and from oxford, ms enjoying the scenery of grazing COWS and goats; i have always loved l o n g car rides that follow along side pastures of grazing cattle and farm crops. this was a particularly great drive because not only was there lots of farm land and grazing cattle, but a number of pickup trucks full of fresh SUMMER produce for sale, including.....watermelon...and nothing is better than farm fresh watermelon on a hot summer day!

withhold + express

the fine line between

withhold(ing) + express(ing)

when do we withhold what we are feeling and when do we express those feelings aloud

there is a time to speak and a time to remain silent

but more importantly, may we learn to speak with

tactfulness and graciousness

(*withhold+express, acrylic on gesso board, 4x4, M.Elliott)

being present...

being present

. . .

it is a learning process for me; being truly present in my life and work and having an awareness of THE moment is a challenge. often d r i f t i n g into thoughts ahead or reCalling moments of the past, i miss existing in the moment. this is more out of habit than choice, but as i try to shift out of this automatic habit, i am becoming more present. it is a new way of SEEing and responding, a new way of being in the world, and a new approach to PAINTing!

bah-bah

bah-bah 30"x30", acrylic on canvas

halfway there~

2. ADVENTURE

(*you could say life is anadventure, but what better way to experience the magnitude and greatness of the outdoors and our CREATOR than to venture into the wilderness of the wild, wild West . . . maybe a little less wilderness and a little less wild, but i am definitely geared up

. . . for ADventuring west with the best trail-blazer i know, my DAD)

last week i had the privilege of spending 9 days with my sister and dad in "bIG Sky Country" Montana. following the footsteps of two american aDventures, lewis & clark, we paddled 47 miles and hiked over 8 miles along the missouri river in just 3 days, a rejuvenating 3 days without cellphones/TV/radio/computers and city noise. i was amazed at how my ear begin to differentiate between the bird calls and subtle sounds of nature. leaving inspired and soothed by the undulating prairie grass, the floating "cotton" from the cottonwood trees, and the magnitude of the white-cliffs, i hope to return again someday!

i was most of all grateful for the moments with my father and sister; to experience something gReat and to sHare it with such special people in my life!

NFocus, June 2011

nFOCUS,

On the Nashville Social Scene

June 2011 Issue

champange

celEbRatIng my artwork going up at

NINA KUZINA FINE ART

in the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel, Nashville, TN

( www.ninakuzina.com )

eXciting nEws!

i am beyond eXcited to share that as of JUNE 1ST

my artwork will be on display and available for purchase at

NINA KUZINA FINE ART

located in the Lowes Vanderbilt Hotel - Nashville, TN

. . .

i am truly humbled that my artwork will be

represented by such a prestigious gallery

and thrilled to make such an announcement!

"music rack"

new painting for the harding art show

may 5th, 6th, & 7th

nashville, tn

("music rack", acrylic on canvas, 30 x 40)

next show!

i am thrilled to be participating in this year's prestigious

Harding Art Show!

stop by and see my new work during this 3day show,

M.Elliott

Artistree Event -

Join me THIS WEEK,

Friday, April 1st & Saturday, April 2nd

for TWO nights of art and live painting f

or a good cause,

-M.Elliott

For more information visit the

Tomorrow Fund website!

www.margaretelliottart.com

beach bliss~

escape into beach bliss

. . . . .

ah, the sound of waves

a slight breeze carrying the aroma of the sea

and warmth on your skin

color study-

working on color studies with a

nautical theme for a rather special project!

once these little lobsters, crabs, and sea-shells

are developed and finalized on larger canvas,

they will take up residence on a boat in south florida

LITTLE FACES

small prices

on display at the

~

David Lipscomb Art Event

Feb. 11th - Feb. 13th

art showing~

~Upcoming Art Show~

Please stop by and see my

new aRT on display

. . .

The Seventh Annual Art Event benefiting David Lipscomb Campus School

February 11-13, 2011

February 11th 5:00pm-9:00pm

February 12th 10:00am -5:00pm

February 13th 1:00pm-5:00pm

Located in the

David Lipscomb High School Gymnasium

3901 Granny White Pike, Nashville Tennessee

*Click the link above for directions to our campus.

Come see the works of 45 very talented artists! They will share with you the stories behind their artwork and you can purchase pieces to enjoy for a lifetime! Thirty percent of all purchases benefits DLCS and is considered a charitable contribution - what a great way to support a great school!

grounded

I am grounded in the earth.

Breathing in, I am rooted and calm.

Breathing out, I release.

Breathing in, I gather back all scattered energies and I am calm.

progress~

funny thing about PROGRESS,

"two steps forward, and one step back"

one step back - hmmm, . . . i used to think that this phrase sounded so negative, and so frustrating. to work so hard at getting two steps ahead only to have to fall back a step; it seemed that progress was always a step away. this phrase kept me awake last night until i came to the realization that it didn't mean that at all....

"two steps, forward and one step back"

one step back = momentum

the step back, as frustrating as it might be, is only a catapult of momentum to push you forward those next two steps.

PROGRESS is constant movement; no matter the direction, forward or back, it is motion!

motion is good. yes, there is a time to be still, but not in the wake of progress. so maybe we take a step backwards, but only to take TWO steps FORWARD!

(*if the storyline in this painting continued, i think the girl would be taking two steps forward)

2011

Intentions for the New Year!

1. COMPASSION

(*after undergoing 3 surgeries in three months as the result of being bit on the leg by a brown recluse sPider, i have the utmost compassion for anyone suffering! i have been astounded at the cost of medical services, BUT SO GRATEFUL that they were available to me!

. . . i plan to raise money for individuals in need of reconstructive surgery)

2. ADVENTURE

(*you could say life is an adventure, but what better way to experience the magnitude and greatness of the outdoors and our CREATOR than to venture into the wilderness of the wild, wild West . . . maybe a little less wilderness and a little less wild, but i am definitely geared up

. . . for ADventuring west with the best trail-blazer i know, my DAD)

3. GRATITUDE

(*like i said, 3 surgeries in 3 months, will make you grateful for your two legs and the mobility that those two legs provide

. . . i plan to RUN a road race in gratitude and thanksgiving for the mobility that i have been re-given!)

a word about intentions~

january 1 st . . .

the word "resolution" is a bit daunting considering that

statistically only 46% of us who make "resolutions" for

the new year actually keep those resolutions for longer than 6mos.

. . . so, following my YOGIC PRINCIPLES,

i resolve this year to not set resolutions but intentions, something

that i admit is challenging enough in a single yoga practice,

believe me, try maintaining an intention of patience while

holding Utkatasana (chair pose) for a minute!

but this small moment of silence at the beginning of a yoga class

has a powerful way of not only keeping my mind focused through

the poses, but somehow seems to creep into my thoughts and

actions for the rest of the day.

In Sanskirt, the word for intention, sankalpa, is

a promise you make to yourself

about what you intend to do, be, say.

one word phrases

that become your mantra for your practice, day, year.

. . . ah, isn't that refreshing!

welcome 20 11

(*p.s. don't forget to eat your turnip greens & black-eyed peas today!)