Dazzling work from a gifted Supercrafter, and the spotlight is on Rome...
I once reviewed a cruise onboard Star Clipper, in a seriously rocky sea. Mary Stuart-Miller was the wonderful PR for the ship and to soothe our small press group she taught us how to make sock teddies. Strangely enough, sewing them didn’t make us seasick (in fact it made us feel better) and even 23 years on, Mary is still a good friend – and I still love making sock teds!
Meet Supercrafter Mary Stuart-Miller
Mary is an accomplished artist and lifelong crafter, who loves to recycle discarded materials. “I have fiddled with wool, felt, shells, paints, card – anything I can create something from – going right back to early childhood. I disappear into a world of my own, always losing myself in whatever it is that I’m creating.”
Having spent much of the Covid pandemic in Holland, Mary recently turned her hand to making art from shells discarded by the Dutch oyster producers. “They lend themselves brilliantly to becoming painted Santas, and even a few Grinches too,” she tells me. “Not every shell makes it though; I choose them carefully and discard any that don’t speak to me!”
Away from the festive season, Mary transforms the shell’s smooth pearly interior into a canvas onto which she paints her favourite sea creatures, seahorses and octopuses. She loves making use of something natural, “turning it into a small piece of art for someone to enjoy.”
“Sometimes when I’m painting, I squeeze tubes of acrylic directly onto a canvas and spread them with a credit card or scraper, which is hugely satisfying. Vibrant colours that really ‘pop’ are a must for me. I paint what I feel, rather than what I see; whether it’s multicoloured pebbles on a beach, a yellow sky or trees in a rainbow of colours; they all give me a creative release and a real sense of happiness. I literally do produce art from the heart and it’s a massive part of my life that I couldn’t live without.” Check out Mary’s Etsy shop, artfromtheheart2023.
