Which came first? Definitely the chicks.

It started with Julie and Marie, two chicks painting together a few hours a week and, eventually, blogging about it.

When Paula joined in, the party grew. Now it was three chicks painting, offering suggestions, supporting each other’s art—and having a really good time doing it. What made our time together so fulfilling? Was it the creativity? The camaraderie? Or was it the finished product? A little of each, we decided.

Then we thought, why not more? More chicks painting together, laughing through minor setbacks, celebrating creative successes, and ultimately making something beautiful to call our own.

That, dear reader, is how More Chicks Painting was hatched.

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MARIE MURRELL, owner/instructor/business manager. “Painting makes me feel euphoric. It’s like making magic.” Inspired by everything (“I can’t go anywhere without seeing something I want to paint”), Marie’s paintings, experience and enthusiasm inspire her students. Her goal? To help adults recapture the sense of wonder and accomplishment small children feel when making art.

A lifelong artist, today Marie paints primarily in watercolor and acrylics. Known for her mastery of color, Marie’s work achieves a striking sense of intimacy with its subject matter—be it flower, face, landscape or abstraction. Her work was most recently shown at the Transparent Watercolor Society of America’s 2011 National Exhibit and is available locally at Hammer Boutique in La Grange.

For more information about Marie, check out her website mariemurrell.com.

JULIE SKODA, owner/instructor/marketing. Julie’s inspiration is the ordinary object and the everyday moment, but her work is visual drama. Currently focusing on soft pastel (though she also works in oil, watercolor and acrylic), Julie layers color and masses value for depth and impact—elevating the eggplant, the waitress and, yes, even the chick to uncommon status.

Schooled in graphic design and Van Gogh (she immersed herself in his work while living in Amsterdam for several years), Julie is passionate about the power of art. Her work was most recently shown at the Texas Pastel Society’s 2012 National Juried Exhibition and the Chicago Pastel Painters 2011 National Juried Exhibition, is displayed internationally, and is available locally at Hammer Boutique in La Grange and the La Grange Art League.

For more information about Julie, check out her website julieskoda.com.

For information about Pastel classes at the La Grange Art League with Julie, go to lagrangeartleague.org.

PAULA BENSON, owner/marketing. Writing is what I do, but painting is what I do joyfully. Except for maybe a really good bike ride, nothing feels as good as making art. You get out of your head and into the line, the shape, the shadow, the blue, the red, the—oops, let’s cover that back up why don’t we and go into some green instead and maybe pop a little yellow over here, and perhaps that edge needs to be softened, yes, let’s, good idea…. When you come to you’re staring at something beautiful and think wow did I just do that? But that’s just icing. I’ve never met a person who doesn’t have fun playing with paint, but I’ve met many who sigh and say “I used to.” It’s never too late to start again. Or start for the first time (think Grandma Moses).

Like this website? Contact Paula Benson (the copywriter) or Julie Skoda (the graphic designer) to learn how they can help your company develop its own branding materials: info@morechickspainting.com.