Marcia Harris is a nationally recognized landscape, urbanscape & portrait painter and artist – Calgary

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[00:32] SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Canada's Podcast.
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[00:42] SPEAKER_02: Hello and welcome to Calgary's Podcast with Mario Toneguzi on Canada's Podcast Network.
[00:49] SPEAKER_02: Joining me today is Marcia Harris, who is the owner of Mini Monet Art in Calgary.
[00:56] SPEAKER_02: Thanks for joining us today, Marcia.
[00:58] SPEAKER_04: Yes, thanks for having me.
[01:00] SPEAKER_02: All right, let me just start by asking you what Mini Monet Art is and what you do.
[01:07] SPEAKER_04: Okay, so I'm a professional artist.
[01:10] SPEAKER_04: Last year during lockdown, I guess around April, I had some kids that were coming to see
[01:16] SPEAKER_04: me for art classes.
[01:18] SPEAKER_04: And I thought, well, maybe an idea would just be to take the art class that I have and put
[01:24] SPEAKER_04: it online.
[01:25] SPEAKER_04: Just seems like everything was kind of going that way, everything was moving that way.
[01:28] SPEAKER_04: So I decided to start by collecting some art products that would end up in a box.
[01:37] SPEAKER_04: It didn't start in a box, it started in a bag.
[01:39] SPEAKER_04: It's now in a box, but just so that the kids could pick them up and have the supplies
[01:46] SPEAKER_04: that would go with the pre-recorded links that I did.
[01:50] SPEAKER_04: And I put the links on YouTube as unlisted and then emailed them and they would be able
[01:56] SPEAKER_04: to like access them at their own time, whatever it worked out.
[02:00] SPEAKER_04: And they would, and then it would work out with using the paint supplies as part of the
[02:05] SPEAKER_04: product as a whole.
[02:07] SPEAKER_02: Okay, super.
[02:08] SPEAKER_02: You have the box there, right?
[02:10] SPEAKER_02: You show me?
[02:11] SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I do.
[02:12] SPEAKER_02: Okay.
[02:14] SPEAKER_02: And so what is all in there, Marcia?
[02:17] SPEAKER_04: Okay, well, I'll show you.
[02:18] SPEAKER_04: So in the box, the actual box is $60, but it comes with the class.
[02:25] SPEAKER_04: So the whole thing worked out to be about $15 per class.
[02:29] SPEAKER_04: So inside the box, there's these 12, 5 mill paint.
[02:34] SPEAKER_04: There's one paint that's considered a surprise paint.
[02:38] SPEAKER_04: It's like a color that you don't know you're getting.
[02:41] SPEAKER_04: It's just an interesting aspect of it, I guess.
[02:44] SPEAKER_04: You get five brushes right here.
[02:46] SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
[02:46] SPEAKER_04: And then as well as you get these four canvas boards that all 8 by 10, you get, we use
[02:55] SPEAKER_04: a lot of tape.
[02:56] SPEAKER_04: So I actually provide tape.
[02:57] SPEAKER_04: And then I also provide these little loose canvases for mixing paint.
[03:02] SPEAKER_04: And that all comes in the box.
[03:05] SPEAKER_04: And that box can be either delivered or it can be picked up at the location or it can
[03:12] SPEAKER_04: be shipped out to the customer.
[03:15] SPEAKER_04: Okay.
[03:16] SPEAKER_02: So did you tell me a little bit about the history and how you started this and why?
[03:22] SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
[03:22] SPEAKER_04: So I started it.
[03:24] SPEAKER_04: I guess I just started it because I saw a need for, well, kids were at home.
[03:30] SPEAKER_04: Everybody's on screen.
[03:32] SPEAKER_04: Everybody's working remotely.
[03:33] SPEAKER_04: Everybody's doing classes remotely.
[03:35] SPEAKER_04: So I thought I just put it into that same group.
[03:38] SPEAKER_02: Okay.
[03:39] SPEAKER_02: That's great.
[03:40] SPEAKER_02: And what about your background?
[03:43] SPEAKER_02: Have you been involved in art all your life?
[03:48] SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
[03:49] SPEAKER_04: So a bit about my background, which probably will help people understand why I sort
[03:54] SPEAKER_04: of arrived at this is because I, first of all, I graduated 2004 with a BFA.
[03:59] SPEAKER_04: So Bachelor of Fine Art from the Okanagan painting was like my main medium that I focused
[04:05] SPEAKER_04: on and drawing.
[04:07] SPEAKER_04: And then when I guess it's been, when my son started school, I had one of his teachers
[04:11] SPEAKER_04: sort of, well, realized that I, realizing I was an artist wanted me to come and do it
[04:16] SPEAKER_04: like a little mini art session with the kids.
[04:19] SPEAKER_04: So I kind of got hooked at that point.
[04:21] SPEAKER_04: And then as it turned out, I put myself on the CB roster.
[04:26] SPEAKER_04: And I did a few artisan residencies.
[04:29] SPEAKER_04: So I was at different school.
[04:31] SPEAKER_04: So I was working, I've been working with classes from kids and all that.
[04:34] SPEAKER_04: So probably three years prior to last April, I guess, when I started to do this.
[04:38] SPEAKER_04: Plus I had a few kids coming to see me for like group and private lessons.
[04:44] SPEAKER_02: So what is it about art that just, I guess, attracted you to it, even from my younger age?
[04:52] SPEAKER_04: What about art?
[04:53] SPEAKER_04: Oh, when I was younger.
[04:54] SPEAKER_04: Oh, I feel like it's one of those things that I guess it may sound cliche, but it's
[04:59] SPEAKER_04: all, I've always known that I was going to be an artist.
[05:02] SPEAKER_04: I just didn't know in what capacity.
[05:03] SPEAKER_04: And I feel like being an artist, a creative, a creative outlet for me is, I guess,
[05:08] SPEAKER_04: a variety of things and just to keep myself busy with, because not necessarily
[05:13] SPEAKER_04: will one thing be enough.
[05:15] SPEAKER_04: I kind of, I kind of like to, yeah, I'd kind of be a bit balanced.
[05:19] SPEAKER_04: I, I've discovered that I like teaching and this remote teaching,
[05:23] SPEAKER_04: ways a little bit of a challenge to learn, but I feel like it's coming.
[05:27] SPEAKER_04: And I always have, I guess, more to learn and more to, yeah, more ways to grow.
[05:33] SPEAKER_02: So we're in what you're doing right now.
[05:36] SPEAKER_02: What's a target age group and range and age for?
[05:42] SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
[05:43] SPEAKER_04: That's a good question.
[05:44] SPEAKER_04: I would say five, probably five and a half and probably, well, what we're,
[05:51] SPEAKER_04: what I'm actually working on to develop is an adult mini-money class.
[05:55] SPEAKER_04: Well, really?
[05:55] SPEAKER_04: But mini-money, don't complicate it.
[05:57] SPEAKER_04: Just, just, because a lot of the time, a lot of times the moms will, or the
[06:03] SPEAKER_04: parent or caregiver will actually do the art class with their child.
[06:08] SPEAKER_04: And they, and we've posted the pictures of that and that's sort of engaging.
[06:11] SPEAKER_04: So the other thing I've done with this class is I've done some zoom with
[06:18] SPEAKER_04: different businesses and like people that have reached out to me adult, I guess.
[06:22] SPEAKER_04: So in that case, I've done some classes in the same way with the same products.
[06:28] Speaker UNKNOWN: 
[06:29] SPEAKER_02: Okay, super then.
[06:31] SPEAKER_02: Why, and you're reach, I would assume in this day and age because,
[06:37] SPEAKER_02: you know, there really are no borders and no boundaries anymore, right?
[06:42] SPEAKER_02: Your reach could be like, well, beyond Calgary, right?
[06:46] Speaker UNKNOWN: 
[06:47] SPEAKER_02: Okay, so you're targeting every word?
[06:50] SPEAKER_04: Yeah, we'll set up.
[06:52] SPEAKER_04: We have a, we have a Shopify, we have a website where you can purchase.
[06:55] SPEAKER_04: First of all, we end up, we have, well, you can visit us at mini-money art,
[07:01] SPEAKER_04: our art online, mini-money art online on Instagram.
[07:04] SPEAKER_04: And then right on Instagram, there's access to the website where you can purchase.
[07:10] SPEAKER_04: And we can ship out, actually, we can ship out to the States too.
[07:12] SPEAKER_04: We can ship out all her ass Canada into the States for set up for that.
[07:15] SPEAKER_02: Okay, super then.
[07:18] SPEAKER_02: How did the name come about and why money?
[07:22] SPEAKER_04: Okay.
[07:23] SPEAKER_04: I guess I'm the queen of kitschy, but I was just chatting with somebody, um,
[07:30] SPEAKER_04: a marketer.
[07:30] SPEAKER_04: I was just, I'm trying to like gain knowledge here because I feel really like I just need to know so much.
[07:35] SPEAKER_04: And I'm learning more and more as I go, but there's just so much to know.
[07:39] SPEAKER_04: And I just reached out to somebody who is in marketing, um,
[07:43] SPEAKER_04: who would have a little bit of expertise in sort of how to get this thing going.
[07:47] SPEAKER_04: And as I was talking to him, uh, we just were sort of hype.
[07:52] SPEAKER_04: Um, we were just discussing potential names and we didn't, I didn't really have,
[07:56] SPEAKER_04: I didn't have a name at the time, but as I was talking to him, I just,
[07:59] SPEAKER_04: mini-money just kind of popped in my head and I said it.
[08:02] SPEAKER_04: And he's like, yeah, yeah, that sounds cute, but, you know, it's probably taken.
[08:05] SPEAKER_04: Um, but as it turned out, um, it wasn't.
[08:09] SPEAKER_04: In the way that we were going to do it.
[08:11] SPEAKER_04: So the idea with mone is that he's sort of an icon,
[08:14] SPEAKER_04: a recognizable like art icon, like baby band go would be.
[08:19] SPEAKER_04: And, um, the mini part sort of is associated to like a child, I guess, like us.
[08:24] SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
[08:25] SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
[08:25] SPEAKER_04: So the two of them together, I felt like, explain the product.
[08:28] SPEAKER_04: Okay.
[08:29] SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
[08:30] SPEAKER_02: I'm just curious.
[08:32] SPEAKER_02: Uh, can you describe what, uh, mone art is like?
[08:35] SPEAKER_04: Like, like me or mone, it's out.
[08:39] SPEAKER_02: Monet, it's, uh, uh, itself, like what, what is that art?
[08:42] SPEAKER_02: How would you describe that art?
[08:45] SPEAKER_04: Okay.
[08:45] SPEAKER_04: Well, like mone is art to me is, it's like, it's impressionistic landscape.
[08:52] SPEAKER_04: So I guess I'm attracted to him as an artist as well as it being something that I use within my business.
[08:58] SPEAKER_04: But, while when I was in school studying fine art, he was, um, yeah,
[09:03] SPEAKER_04: he was a painter that resonated for me for sure.
[09:05] SPEAKER_04: He, he's all about color and about exploring colors.
[09:09] SPEAKER_04: So when I paint and teach my classes, I wouldn't say that I do a mone as
[09:13] SPEAKER_04: high painting, not all the time, but definitely he's an influence for me, for sure.
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[09:53] SPEAKER_02: Now you said you were originally from BC?
[09:56] SPEAKER_04: Well, I studied in BC, like I got the my, yeah, my BFA, I got at Okanagan, um,
[10:02] SPEAKER_04: UBC Okanagan, so University of Okanagan, yeah.
[10:06] SPEAKER_02: Yes.
[10:07] SPEAKER_02: So are you originally from Calgary then?
[10:10] SPEAKER_04: Yes, we moved there for a period of time, like five years, um, probably from,
[10:16] SPEAKER_04: I think it was 2000 to 2004, yeah.
[10:19] SPEAKER_04: So during that time, I, I, yeah, I got a degree, just worked out.
[10:24] SPEAKER_02: So I, I've been intrigued, uh, especially with artists, right?
[10:29] SPEAKER_02: A very close friend of mine.
[10:32] SPEAKER_02: I don't even, I don't know him at all, but his Paul Van Ginkgo.
[10:37] SPEAKER_02: And Paul does a lot of art, a lot of Western and native art, etc.
[10:44] SPEAKER_02: But I used to work with Paul at the Calgary Herald back in 1989 before he got smart and left
[10:51] SPEAKER_02: the newspaper business and became an artist.
[10:53] SPEAKER_02: But I remember Paul telling me one day about how he really had a cup, uh, two jobs, right?
[11:01] SPEAKER_02: He had his, his job was the job of the actual painting and, uh, creativity part of it.
[11:08] SPEAKER_02: But the other aspect is, uh, the business side of things, right?
[11:13] SPEAKER_02: So, so you're really, I got two jobs in one.
[11:17] SPEAKER_02: I, do you find that as well?
[11:18] SPEAKER_02: Like, right now that because of what you're doing is that you're no,
[11:22] SPEAKER_02: no longer just an artist, but you're also a business person, right?
[11:27] SPEAKER_04: Exactly. So I, yeah, I touched on that a little bit when I was planning, but for me,
[11:31] SPEAKER_04: it's a huge learning experience. And I've, I've sort of, um, I've latched on to a few people
[11:37] SPEAKER_04: that have helped me in that way. And I have a silent partner, business partner, um,
[11:43] SPEAKER_04: who is sort of involved, but, but not to the extent that I'm involved.
[11:47] SPEAKER_04: And yes, I'm, it's all a learning experience.
[11:50] SPEAKER_04: I think it's just, yeah, it's like, I, I just hope that it keeps going in a, in a good direction.
[11:57] SPEAKER_02: That's all I can know. What do you like? What do you like about, uh, you know, the,
[12:01] SPEAKER_04: the being an entrepreneur, I guess? Uh, I just feel like it's, it's exciting to explore an
[12:08] SPEAKER_04: idea that you've sort of created and see how other people respond to it. And I feel like the
[12:13] SPEAKER_04: response I've gotten so far has been like really positive. I feel like it's something that people
[12:19] SPEAKER_04: are looking for. I feel like, I don't know, it's something interesting. It's something,
[12:25] SPEAKER_04: maybe it's not so different and so unique, but for me, it's unique, unique to me. So, yeah.
[12:31] SPEAKER_02: What do you think people get out of art?
[12:34] SPEAKER_04: Uh, I don't know. It's one of those things to me. What I would, I would say, like, I, I like to
[12:40] SPEAKER_04: sort of relax and just paint. And it's almost like a, um, a time where you can just sort of
[12:47] SPEAKER_04: not really sort of tune out from like the typical things that you would do on screen, I guess.
[12:54] SPEAKER_04: And just, um, enjoy just like, um, being in the moment and like painting. It's a little therapeutic,
[13:01] SPEAKER_04: I think I, I feel like it's therapeutic for me. Um, I, I would say that some people would feel
[13:06] SPEAKER_02: that way for sure. Yeah. Okay. Then I'm curious, where, where do you actually paint?
[13:11] SPEAKER_04: So, I actually have a studio on my property. And, um, yeah, I'm not where I produce,
[13:18] SPEAKER_04: actually that's where I do my little, my shows, my, or my little, I would say,
[13:22] SPEAKER_04: there are many shows that we've linked that, um, that would be sent out or emailed to them to,
[13:29] SPEAKER_04: you know, different kids who would purchase the product. And, and then I, so I do that,
[13:34] SPEAKER_04: and then I just do my painting in my studio. Yeah. Because I, because yeah, I'm a professional
[13:39] SPEAKER_04: painter as well. So I don't feel like I kind of think they both work together, obviously,
[13:44] SPEAKER_04: being a professional painter and doing that part of, you know, that part of what I do is also
[13:49] SPEAKER_04: connects to teaching. Um, and I guess it's more just like I, I teach sort of the methods that I
[13:55] SPEAKER_04: do myself. Not that they're the right methods, but it's the ones that work for me.
[13:59] SPEAKER_02: Okay. And what about yourself personally when you paint? What, what, what kind of, uh, images
[14:05] SPEAKER_02: that you've painted, you know, do you have a certain style, that type of thing?
[14:10] SPEAKER_04: Yeah. I would say my style might be, might be quite similar to what I teach in the class.
[14:16] SPEAKER_04: Um, I feel like people can make that connection. Um, right now my subject matter is, well,
[14:22] SPEAKER_04: I've always done landscape. And I've done a variety of different series over the years. Um,
[14:28] SPEAKER_04: but my current series right now and what I'm working on is urban landscape.
[14:33] SPEAKER_04: So a lot of like buildings and yeah, that kind of thing in my work.
[14:40] SPEAKER_02: Okay. So, you know, when we, when we get into, uh, I guess tough economic times, do you think people
[14:48] SPEAKER_02: tend to, uh, I guess they're a lot better word escape, uh, you know, into, into the entertainment
[14:56] SPEAKER_02: area, whether that's big movies or music or art. Do you think that, um, uh, something like art
[15:05] SPEAKER_04: provides an escape for people during those times? Yeah. I definitely do. I think it slows you down
[15:12] SPEAKER_04: to sort of like, I get, well, like I said before, it's a little meditative, therapeutic. Like,
[15:17] SPEAKER_04: I feel like, especially if somebody's telling you what to do, you kind of just have to like do what
[15:21] SPEAKER_04: they're telling you to do. And then it's just more of a process of unwinding. I don't know.
[15:27] SPEAKER_04: For me, I think I feel that way, but it's like for me, it's like second nature. It's what I do all
[15:31] SPEAKER_04: the time. And I feel like you're, I feel like I would agree with you. I'd say, yeah, okay. It's, yeah.
[15:38] SPEAKER_02: What about your favorite painting? Do you have one of mine? No, just in general, just of anyone's.
[15:46] SPEAKER_04: Oh, um, favorite. Well, then I would have to say who favorite artists would be, um, because for me,
[15:52] SPEAKER_04: an actual painting title, I don't always remember them, but, um, yeah, like, uh, I have like,
[15:59] SPEAKER_04: if you, I would say my Canadian painters, I tend to like, um, one would be like Kim Dorland. He's
[16:06] SPEAKER_04: a painter that I, that I really am inspired by. Yeah. Okay. Have you, um, uh, I'm just curious
[16:13] SPEAKER_02: as an artist and a painter, yeah, ever visited some of the, some of the great, uh, you know,
[16:21] SPEAKER_04: museums in Europe at all. Not in Europe, just in, I've only been to New York, but yes,
[16:27] SPEAKER_02: in New York, I have. Okay. Yeah. I feel when you go through those places, like, uh, do you,
[16:33] SPEAKER_02: do you spend a lot of time? Like, uh, like, I know for instance, like my, my wife, it's, uh, is,
[16:40] SPEAKER_02: you know, we go, when we go to a museum like that could, could literally spend hours and hours,
[16:46] SPEAKER_04: look, uh, like, are you like that? Yes. I mean, I think, um, at the time, I, I think I drove my
[16:53] SPEAKER_04: husband a bit crazy because I just kind of wanted to go from one to the next and like, spent, yeah,
[16:58] SPEAKER_04: exactly. Well, you're like, I went literally right after I graduated with my bachelor
[17:02] SPEAKER_04: of fine art, which was so, it was perfect to time to go just to see and just sort of soak it all in.
[17:08] SPEAKER_04: Yeah. It was, yeah. I do that. I go to art openings when I can. I, I'm, I'm always online,
[17:14] SPEAKER_04: like, looking at other people's artwork. Um, yeah, I find it magazines, whatever. I just find it,
[17:20] SPEAKER_04: I'm always trying to be inspired and open to like, new inspiration, I guess.
[17:26] SPEAKER_02: Okay. Super. Then, anything else you would like to add, uh, Marcia, but yourself or your business
[17:32] SPEAKER_04: that I didn't ask you about? Oh, yeah. Um, well, I mean, yeah, I guess if anybody is really
[17:37] SPEAKER_04: interested in finding out about us, Minnie Monet, um, you would just go to, um, on Instagram,
[17:43] SPEAKER_04: we would be Minnie Monet art online. And, uh, that's the, uh, count number and then, or count name.
[17:51] SPEAKER_04: And then for me, it's Marcia Jean Arnest, and that would be where you would find my work.
[17:56] SPEAKER_04: I also have a website, um, MarciaJarris.com. Okay. Super. Yeah. Yeah.
[18:04] SPEAKER_02: All right. Well, thanks very much for joining us today.
[18:07] SPEAKER_02: Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. Okay. That was Marcia Harris, who is the owner of
[18:13] SPEAKER_02: Minnie Monet art in Calgary. This has been Calgary's podcast with Mario Tonoguzzi on Canada's
[18:19] SPEAKER_02: podcast network. Thanks for joining us today.
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