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Let's see...back to the beginning...! I was born in 1973, and grew up for the most part
in a little, teeny, tiny, town in central Pennslyvania, by the name of Mifflinburg.
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Visit my hometown! |
The earliest Christmas present that I can remember was sometime around 1979(?) and it was the Breyer classic Andulsian stallion. My sister got the mare from the set...and we "debated" for years over which one of us should get the foal!!!! I had discovered model horses! : )
I eventually got to learn about the real thing as well, and starting taking riding lessons in eighth grade. To this day, I consider my instructor, Connie Sibley, (West Acre Farm) to be, without a doubt, the best teacher that ever put a child on a horse!!! Connie raises Quarter horses, and I will probably always prefer to ride a horse with at least a little Quarter blood in it!
| And when I wasn't at the barn, I was learning how to paint ceramic murals at a local store, Design Tiles, that specialized in customized hand-made tiles, and other custom-designed ceramic products. The owner of the store, Joannah Skucek took a chance on a young girl, and let me paint to my hearts content! I still LOVE working with clay, and glazes. |
Design Tiles (This is one of the murals that I painted while at Design Tiles. Lots of horses...imagine that!) |
Skipping forward a bit...I graduated from George Washington University with a BA in Biological Sciences, and a minor in Fine Art, and Art History. (I did not major in art because I thought at the time that Biology would be a more practical field...but I have on occasion since then wondered why the heck I did not just get the art degree, go into computer graphics...and make lots of money!!)
After college I decided to be adventuresome and move away from Pennsylvania. And ended up living in Louisiana! (Nope...still not sure exactly how THAT happened!!) A bit of culture shock, to say the least. Luckily, my aunt was not too far away, and she raised Arabians!! Her daughter (Ellen Warner) and I quickly became good friends, and the three of us had many adventures, most of which revolved around the world of the Arabian horse, including two trips to see the Nationals...! Around this time (1999) my creative muse thought I should start making some miniature Arabian tack...and **presto** the first MarstonArt costume was constructed. Hehehehe...and as they say, you know the rest!
I currently pretend to be a grown-up during regular business hours, and work for the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, (LADEQ). Evenings and weekends, however, are often spent in the "workshop" playing dress-up with my plastic ponies, or straining my eyeballs working on other misc. miniatures!! (I THINK my mother has finally realized that her little girl may never grow out of that "I love horses" phase!!)
