Marcia Stewart – RocknGoddess Etsy Shop
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Large Yule Pentacle
Gracing our cover this month is the beautiful art of Marcia Stewart, also known as, RocknGoddess on etsy. We loved her work so much we thought we would get to know a little more about her.
Marcia Stewart: As with many other pagan/witch folk that I speak with, I was raised in a Christian home, however, it never really resonated with me. During exploration of my spiritual beliefs, in 2000, I came across Earth-based religions, paganism, and witchcraft. I consider myself “pagan” as I am eclectic in my beliefs and spirituality. I am a stone artist and I create pieces that are inspired by nature and my spirituality. I started my Etsy shop in January of 2013 and I have over 900 sales to date. Outside of my art, I work part-time at a community college assisting disabled students in the classroom. My biggest joy in the world is being a grandmother. Some of your readers may remember me from years ago when I ran a blog and Facebook page called The Simplified Witch. I changed the name to RocknGoddess since it is more representative of my art.
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Yule Goddess with Poinsettia
Marcia Stewart: I always loved art but got away from it for a long time. In 2012, my husband and I had the opportunity to semi-retire, down-size, and move to a home right on the Delaware River. We would go down to the dock and take strolls along the shore. I found the stones there very vibrant and energizing so I decided to bring a few home and paint them. Then I painted more….and people liked them and asked me to paint some for them….so I did. I began to sketch and turn my sketches into paintings on stones. The more I sketch and paint, the more detailed my art is becoming. It is magickal.
PaganPagesOrg: Your Process?
Marcia Stewart: I go out and collect stones along the Delaware River. I always thank Mother Earth and her bountiful river for providing me with such a wonderful medium for my art. When I get the stones home, I sort them by size and scrub them clean with castille soap and water.
I select stones appropriate for a customer’s order or a new design I am creating for the first time. First, I base coat with acrylic paint. I use both craft and canvas acrylics. Next, I sketch the design on the stone with either a graphite pencil or white colored pencil, depending on the background color. Now I am ready for the detail painting. Sometimes it takes many coats of a color to achieve the opaqueness I desire for my designs. For example, gods and goddesses that are red, yellow, or gold take up to 5 coats of paint. Sometimes I let the paint air dry between coats, and sometimes I use a hairdryer to speed up the process, depending on how busy I am. After the all design work is painted on the front and back, I spray coat the stone with Crystal Clear Gloss Enamel for endurance.
When the stone is completely dry, it is blessed and then packed with love and care and shipped to its new owner.
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Yule Holly God and Goddess Set
PaganPagesOrg: What inspires you?
Marcia Stewart: Unfortunately, shortly after my husband and I moved to the river, he was severely injured when a tree fell on him while walking the dog one afternoon. He survived in the intensive care unit for five months but ultimately he succumbed to his injuries. Those precious five months and the life lessons they presented to our family are a huge inspiration to me. Life is precious and it can be taken away in an instant so always live your life with love and gratitude. My husband knew how much I loved painting stones for customers and he would want me to continue doing what I love. Painting stones and the accident have transformed my life. I have found my peace and calm. I have found what I am supposed to be doing in this life and I love it. Unfortunately I had to move from the river home, but I am still close enough that I take weekly trips to “stone island” where I find peace and solitude and awesome stones to paint! I hope that my art brings inspiration, peace, joy and happiness to others.
PaganPagesOrg: Our deepest sympathies on the passing of your husband.
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Yule tree ornaments
PaganPagesOrg: Other ways people may see my work, make purchases, or contact you?
I will be making Yule tree ornaments for my shop very soon.
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