Meet the Artist
Marjorie Cranston
Fine Art
A lifelong journey studying art has been mine.
I began drawing at age 4 doing pencil drawings. Then, as a small child, I began painting with my aunt who was a patient and thoughtful teacher through my early years. I never stopped learning about my passion and I went on to win the art award in High School. I chose to attend Michigan State University's Fine Art program with a major in fine art and minor in Art History. Later in life, I went on to achieve a Bachelors in business to help me with the business aspects of art and design. I also joined the Art Student’s League to study under the “greats” in Denver (Tony Ortega and Doug Dawson).
I opened a gallery in Grand Lake, Colorado 22 years ago and began pastel drawing of my surroundings in Grand lake. Since closing that space two years ago, I have built a new studio and there concentrated on not only pastel, but painting 4 and 5 feet pieces. I loved the inclusion of paint and canvas in my portfolio and now not just landscapes, but wildlife art as well.
I hike 40 miles each week with my dogs looking for that one possible scene to paint. Just stepping up to a canvas to paint cannot happen without the first step of finding that magical moment hiking. I take so many photos and throw out most of them until the right mood hits me !
The production of giclee work is a great way to collect art. Giclee is done from a full scan of the original and each piece is an investment on the part of the artist. I drive each piece to Broomfield for the scan. A good giclee company spends time to make sure the image is perfect before producing. VanGoghAgainCo in Denver does all of my work. As a piece is ordered it then is produced individually using archival materials and inks; then is coated for UV protection. I prefer the orders done on canvas with a full image stretch. They come ready to hang and many times I cannot tell the original from the giclee. VanGogh does all of my shipping as well insuring timely production and expert packing. Each customer receives tracking notification of the order.