Artist Spotlight: Marlys Farn-Guillette

Marlys Firing Raku Pottery

Marlys Teaching at EAC

Marlys’ work bubbles and bristles with enthusiasm and energy whether it is created in clay, painted on canvas or assembled from found objects. With titles such as WHISTLE BLOWER, Ravages of Mankind, Silenced, Keeper of the Sea, Storm’s Burst and Luminous Dancers, you witness her awe of nature’s sea and sky as well as her desire to express her activist or social awareness ideas.

Diving In

As Marlys eyes a spot clearing on her calendar, she gets ready to “jump in and go full tilt” to create some art. Family and friends are important to her, so they get first dibs before scheduling time in her studio. Asked what her week looks like she might say, “Grandma, artist, artist, Grandma, artist, Grandma.” Depending on the time available she decides what medium she wants to work with. Whether it is a few more raku masks or a couple of paintings she is rewarded by just getting things done.

What If?

Marlys is not known for doing the same thing over and over again. She often asks, “what if?” She might try something “off the seat of my pants” during Raku clay making or the glaze process. She might even ask “what if I throw this in the burn barrel when I am doing a 2nd reduction Raku firing?” If you know something about Raku pottery, that sounds quite adventurous!

Her plans for her future in painting is to 'reset' her creative process, and to ask “what if I use a different surface for the painting style that I want to express? Stretched canvas may not be the right surface for what I want to achieve.”

She had considered giving up painting altogether and concentrating on pottery, so she took a short on-line painting class, to test her motivation. it kickstarted her to keep experimenting with paint.

A Creative Thinker

When asked how she describes herself, she avoids the word artist. She likes to say that she “is a creative thinker. I create lots and lots and lots of ideas in my head. Some materialize; many don't. But I keep lots of notes.” 

Those ideas grow like the barnacles featured on many of her pieces. Although barnacles are a common sight on our rocky beaches, she was originally inspired a National Geographic magazine cover which featured a piece of pottery that had been excavated from the bottom of the China Sea. The sunken ship had been carrying crates and crates of pottery cargo that had been lying on the ocean floor for many years. She remembers that “Although many of the pieces were intact, they were covered with barnacles and various sea life had made the pottery their home. I was determined to recreate those pieces in Raku clay.” Her pieces are expressions of the undersea world and often feature found objects from our local shores.

Land of the Living Skies

Born in Saskatchewan, Canada, she describes herself as being blessed to often be able to experience the light shows of the Aurora Borealis. Her inspiration for paintings begins in the skies, of Saskatchewan, the Land of the Living Skies.

Her dabbling in art got its start when her grandmother gave her a set of paints along with a few small canvas boards when she was around 13 or 14. Her rural, small community didn't have much in the way of art courses at the school, but the local community college offered introductory art classes for adults. They made an exception for young Marlys, and she was able to attend and take, not only art classes, but a veterinarian course about farm animal care.

A Gallery Found

She finished her degree program at the University of Saskatchewan and took a teaching position in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada. While living and teaching there, she met and married an American who was living in Calais. While teaching at the St. Stephen High School, she would take the students on art and culture field trips. They went to galleries in the region from St. John, NB to Machias, ME and in Eastport they visited the one and only gallery at the time, the Eastport Gallery. She maintained her interest in the Eastport Gallery and when she resigned from full-time teaching, she got involved with the Gallery. For a time, she owned and operated a business in Eastport, which consisted of custom framing, antiques and collectibles, along with art and she put her gallery membership on hold. When they closed their shop, she returned to be an active member at the Gallery. Gallery visitors continue to be delighted by her ever-changing and imaginative pieces.

You can find more of her work in season at Eastport Gallery and all year long at https://www.eastportgallery.com/marlys-farn-guillette.

The work of Marlys and fellow artist Judy Clendenning is on display at the Eastport Arts Center through January 1, 2026. Their show is titled "Reflections."