OCTOBER 2024 FEATUREd ARTISTS

MARILYN EGER | JOY KUO | GAY LYNN SAUNDERS

Marilyn is primarily a plein air painter. When plein air is not possible she works from her own photos or still life in her studio. She is also drawn to reflected light. She has a deep passion for vibrant color.

Her medium of choice is oil, pastel, acrylics and occasionally watercolor, in that order. She feels like a sculptor when painting because she can chisel out the images as though they were stone. She applies paint in an impressionistic style.

The Clements and Acampo landscape reoccur in her painting. The farming and ranching theme are some of her favorites. She occasionally has creative friends paint with her in her studio and a few times a month she paints plein air with other artists in the community.

Throughout her life she has continued to value a strong art education and will never stop learning. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1987 from California State University, Stanislaus in Art. Later in 1990, she received her teaching credentials from Chapman College enabling her to instruct future artists at Bear Creek High School, where she taught many levels of art for 25 years. She has an M.F.A. from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, Ca.

Seven years ago she retired from teaching in public school & now teaches a couple mornings a month at the Lodi Community Art Center. She believes art and the creative process is a force of consistency in her life. Her work allows her to see difficulties as gifts. She is a survivor, of not only cancer, but of life. She lives in Clements, California with her husband Jerry and her 2 dogs, Sandy, & Chocolate.

I am so glad to be able to participate in the 2024 Lodi Open Studio Tour! I am also grateful to be able to show my body of work at the Lodi Community Art Center for this event.

My studio at home permeates my entire home, as well as an attic room with very steep stairs. There is no actual place to set up my work for show nor a real workplace to show off, so I am very happy for the art center to afford this opportunity.

All that being said, I am realizing that I am a very productive artist & have a lot to share at this event. Aside from the jewelry creations that I am primarily known for in the area, I work in several media: pastel, oil, watercolor, resin.

Having finally 90% retired as a chiropractor, I have settled my days into catching up on all the creating I missed doing while facilitating people’s health and well being. I am finding that my purpose now is elevating people’s lives with art and helping them to appreciate the beauty of our amazing earth, and in the process, elevating my heart as well.