Marilee Nielsen
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All images can be purchased as matted 5"x7" digital prints, 8"x10" or 11"x14" giclee prints on watercolor paper.  
​Free shipping within the Continental US.

​Prices:  5x7 ($20).  8"x10" ($35).  11"x14" ($65)
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"A" frames: 3.5" x 5.5"
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You are not what has been done to you
There were two fires in my neighborhood and one of them was so close and fast moving I had to evacuate.  A common story  these days, but the remarkable thing was watching how the prickly pear cactus revived in the spring, eight to nine months later.  The charred and shriveled paddles from the hot fire seemed dead, but flowers, fruit and new growth still were able to blossom from these seemly broken and scarred remains.  I was reminded of James Finley’s words that “you are not was has been done to you” and realized how powerful this image would be as a painting.  My thanks to the firefighters who continue to risk their lives fighting wildfires. 
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Wood panels: 5.5" x 10"
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We all share the same source
While at a Dude Ranch with my family in Colorado and I’ll always remember the owner of the ranch pointing out the Aspen tree groves and explaining that a single grove is considered one living organism.  Hundreds, maybe thousands of trees in a grove are all interconnected through a shared root system.  Each tree doing its part through photosynthesis to make energy for the community while the roots and soil fed them all equally.  It made me think of the creator who has embedded in each of us a spark from the original energetic, creative impulse, and how that energy within is what we share, connecting us just as strongly as the groves of Aspens.  
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Love is what you do, not what you get
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Contrast brings clarity
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Enter into the mystery
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Bruised but not broken
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Surrender
Surrender is a sweet image that was requested for me to paint by one of my students.  She said that's what she struggles with most.. I got it.  One of the most formatives books I read as a teenager was Hannah Hurnand's Hind's Feet in High Places. It was an allegorical tale of Much Afraid who makes a journey to the  high places accompanied by her companions Sorrow and Suffering.  When she reaches the top of the mountain, she meets the Shepherd who has guided her.  Her companions are transformed to Joy and Peace and she has the thorn of love placed deep in her heart.  This story also is reflected in my Love themed paintings.
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Finding balance
The Roadrunner is a unique bird of the desert.  They have four toes, two toes that point forward and two toes that point backward.  This is called zygodactyl.  Zygodactyl tracks look like an X so you don’t know what direction the animal has traveled.  My interpretation of this trait is that the Roadrunner has a foot in each world, the spiritual and the physical. I was born in Albuquerque where the roadrunners are plenty so I've adopted the Roadrunner as my totem. Their totem traits are sure-footed, shiftable, loners (but monogamous) and that they pivot with ease.  They are even known to run alongside of you in the desert either as a friend or a curious bystander.
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Breathe
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Find what is real
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Roadside Marker
This image is inspired by a roadside marker in the desert of Palm Springs.  The items I've placed around the marker are those that make the connection to the spiritual world.  Rocks, flowers, candles, icons, Guadalupe…they are the bridge that lift me out of the physical world.  They remind me that there is something more for us all to experience, a Universal Deity that is apparent in all living creatures, indeed, every element of the earth, and most especially, in the people around us.
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LOVE
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When injured we heal
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Zyodactyl "Foot in each world"
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5"x 7" Images Available
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8 Notecards
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  • Home
  • Gallery/Store
    • Frida
  • Artist Statement
  • Past Work
    • Portraits
    • Murals
  • Jewelry
    • Old Favorites
    • Spiritual Pendants
  • Resume
  • Contact