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Eva Marschan-Hayes

Eva Marschan-Hayes

by | Aug 14, 2023

artists
Eva Marschan-Hayes

Mixed media artist, photographer, poet

Biography

Eva Marschan- Hayes was born in Berlin in 1966 and brought up in, Oberhausen, NRW, Germany. Since 1993 she is settled in the south of England.

Eva always had a strong connection with her inner world, which she expressed from an early age through art and writing. As a child she created detailed, colourful felt tips drawings, inspired by poetry, biblical paintings, and her vivid Imagination. Eva started to write daily diaries from the age of 11 and poems since she was a teenager. As a young adult, she experimented with a range of media, including photography, acrylics, oil painting and pastels. Her creative work helped her to work though traumatic childhood experiences and to visualise a world she liked to live in. She refers to these early artworks as “landscapes of the soul.”

Growing into adulthood she decided that she needed to move away from introspection and instead focus on the outside world. She studied law with criminology and in 2015 completed a PhD in socio-legal studies. After a short academic career, she became a full-time carer for her daughter. It was during this time she turned her focus to art again, using photography as her main medium. Eva noticed a significant shift in her creative practice, from introspection into playful spontaneity, inspired by nature and the beauty of light.

Since 2018 Eva has been involved in national, continental, and online exhibitions. She has been part of a variety of collaborative projects, including book publications. More recently, she has been presenting her artworks with her poems, exploring her identity and experiences as a neurodivergent woman.

Art Practice

I am a mixed media artist and poet interested in the transformative power of imagination and creativity. As an artist I create images for meditation, to uplift and to inspire the imagination. I work mainly with photography and digital manipulation often in combination with other media including painting, collage and assemblage.

My artistic work is driven by my curiosity, love to play and a deep connectiveness I feel with nature and all there is. Natural light gets me especially excited. I often feel at awe, witnessing from one moment to the other, on how light transforms, shapes, textures, colours, and mood.

Poems form an essential aspect of my work. Themes are often inspired by my imagery, exploring my lived experiences, as a neurodivergent woman. These include spirituality, emotion, loss and memory. Whilst I primarily create work to aid wellbeing, it also challenges negative, stereotypical assumptions made about those on the autism spectrum and with ADHD.
You can find a recent publication (poem and illustration): “Neurodivergent in a neurotypical world” on:
https://thingsihavelearnedthehardway.com/eva-marschan-hayes/
You can find out more about spiritual aspects of my work in Lorraine Tolmie’s study: Crossing Thresholds: Stories and art from beyond the boundaries of ordinary consciousness. The e-book is freely available on:
https://www.lorrainetolmie.com/crossing-thresholds

Magical Women

I learned about Magical Women through a good friend and thought to try out one of the workshops. I absolutely loved It. The soundscapes felt magical and were in tune with my own work. I felt safe, connected and stimulated by individuals’ artworks, interpretations and feedback to each other. It felt like we are all akin and there is a natural flow. After this wonderful experience I decided that I wanted to engage more with the organization.

Abundace Tree, 2023

Judith Rowlands

Judith Rowlands

by | Aug 9, 2023

artists
Judith Rowlands

In 2020 we invited artists to share their day. During retirement, Judith Rowlands discovered her love of painting, sharing her wonderful eye for colour.“

My friend sent me this poem that she had written in 1964. I read it in the garden and it struck a note. It has so much hope and exuberance coupled with that feeling of regret that redeems itself in the end. It is just like a garden and seemed so appropriate this year. 

April Tryst 

“When you are old, you will remember this – 

The blossoms sparkling in the April rain, 

A morning full of daffodils and love. 

Come, gather up the petals on the lawn, 

And scatter them with kisses in my hair, 

The dark hair gleaming with the passing sweet. 

See where the blackbirds sing of April joys 

And hop beneath the willows weaving white, 

Oh love! Are you not dearer than all this! 

There will be other Aprils and the scent of Spring

Strangling the senses in a sweet embrace, 

Breaking my heart with beauty that must pass… 

Now I am gone, what is there left to tell – 

The tender trysting of an April day, 

And yet, you will not easily forget. 

You will remember me when you are old 

Caught in the sunshine of your April hours, 

Webbed in with wonder – at a single kiss!”

— KATHRYN THOMAS

The garden is important to me and most days in spring and summer I venture out to weed, deadhead or simply enjoy the flowers. This April and May, however, the blossoms have been strangely abundant and simply glorious.

The weather too has seen us sitting on the terrace until quite late into the evening. Sometimes we are still there playing scrabble while the sun sets. Lunches and dinners have been light and colourful to match the mood and senses of the weather. Lots of vegetables and good spices.  A game of scrabble ends the evening while a walk is obligatory in the afternoons. 

The weather too has seen us sitting on the terrace until quite late into the evening. Sometimes we are still there playing scrabble while the sun sets. Lunches and dinners have been light and colourful to match the mood and senses of the weather. Lots of vegetables and good spices.  A game of scrabble ends the evening while a walk is obligatory in the afternoons. 

All these experiences and the assault on my senses is seen in my art at the moment. I say at the moment but I am a beginner on a journey.

Sometimes I wish this journey had started a long time ago but other times I welcome the learning and the voyage of discovery.

The colours I see, the moments in nature, the poems I read and I remember that influence my thoughts and my life. The people in my life who inspire me. I thank them all.

Blair Iris

Blair Iris

by | Aug 9, 2023

artists
blair iris

It is November 2020 and we present our Magical Women Artist of the Season for Autumn, Anna Dyson.

For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to help people. The first thing I ever wanted to be in life was a psychologist. I remember setting up a little cardboard box in my living room as a desk and waiting for people to come ask me for advice.

Of course no adult asked a seven year old for actual advice but this didn’t deter me from wanting to help. I’m positive I got this trait from my mom. She worked in a nursing home and every year she bought Christmas gifts for the patients and every year I would wrap them.

I was in 6th grade when Hurricane Katrina hit. We made up tote bags full of coloring books and toys for the children who lost everything because they were probably in desperate need of a distraction to cope. We lived in Missouri but we felt so deeply for those people even though we ourselves had never experienced a hurricane before. This humanitarian spirit my mother taught me has stuck with me as an adult. But instead of gifts and resources I try to give through actions because I haven’t’ always been able to afford to do much more than that.

A Splash of Magick” and “Fae Magick” bookmarks by Blair Iris. Alcohol ink on Yupo paper.

Blue-Violet Geode” by Blair Iris. Alcohol ink on Yupo paper.

It’s strange to me when people say autistics have little empathy. We may not recognize every emotion that flits across your face, exactly when you feel it. We can’t read the facial map of emotions. But once we know, once you have told us you are sad or hurt, we feel those feelings with you. Our empathy can then overwhelm us. We may not know the exact words to say to make you feel better. Maybe we can’t even speak the words because we can become mute when we are overwhelmed — but we feel with you. Autistics want to help as much as anyone else does,  maybe even more, we just don’t follow the same map.

I always try and paint at the time of the full moon, eclipses, and other times such as the Winter and summer Solstice. 

Golden Lining” by Blair Iris. Alcohol ink and gold liner pen on yupo paper.

“Am I Lost or Found” by Blair Iris. Alcohol ink on yupo paper.

Art has been the thing that keeps me calm, teaches me new things. Art also brings a light to people’s faces when you make something just for them. It’s amazing when someone connects to a piece in a way you, the artist, didn’t even think about. Helping people through my artwork like this is the entire reason I decided to start my own business. My main goal has always been to find causes I want to help and give a percentage of my proceeds to them.

 I started showing my work in December 2019 on instagram with the intention of giving money to causes like the environment, LGBTQ+ rights, and fighting human trafficking. Now that I have my first collection ready, I want the first causes I give to to be real issues that are going on right now in the world that need our immediate help: the fight against Covid 19 and the fight against racism. My every day now consists of painting for those causes. 

I have thirty pieces ready to release on June 30th. I’m giving 20% of the proceeds to Direct Relief, an organization that is sending medical supplies to hospitals in rural areas all over the world. All of the alcohol ink pieces you see here are part of that release. I am also working on three new pieces, to be released soon after, of which I will give 100% of my profit to the organization Black Lives Matter.

We’re all experiencing a massive shift in our day to day lives. Whether it’s being unable to leave your house or fighting on the front lines, or something else entirely,  I hope we can all– neurodivergent and neurotypical– find some way to help our fellow humans during this time of uncertainty. Everything is blurring together right now, but if we can keep sight of just one little goal to pull us all through, then think about how much better the world could get? 

My every day has still been filled with the same things: painting, cleaning, and sleeping. But with each painting I complete, the closer I am to giving back to my fellow humans. We all have to stick together through this and we’ll come out better than before. I’m so proud to be a part of the Magical Women community because it truly feels like a group that is on a mission to make the art world a better place for neurodiverse artists to be ourselves and unleash our talents. We can all have a part in creating that brighter future. 

“Serene Sunset” a photograph by Blair Iris

Anna Dyson

Anna Dyson

by | Aug 9, 2023

artists
anna dyson

It is November 2020 and we present our Magical Women Artist of the Season for Autumn, Anna Dyson.

I am very lucky to have Richmond Park only fifteen minutes walk away from my house so when we were all put into Lockdown and could only go out once a week for exercise I chose to go there.

I also chose to go there because before lockdown I had discovered a passion for trees and nature and every time I went to the park I was drawn to photograph certain trees or certain parts of trees. So in total, I have ended up with over 5000 photos! I have used some of my tree images to add to my current range of abstract art greeting cards and prints.

My Routines in Lockdown

During lockdown I also started an online mentoring course learning about the health benefits of plants and the art of foraging so my daily walks in  the park were a perfect compliment to my course. 

I am also, generally, someone who hugs freely and I live on my own, so I decided to adopt a tree fairly near the entrance of the park that I would go to hug on exiting the park and I still do this every time I go.

I don’t pre-plan my walks in the park so when I get there I just take the route that feels right.

Listen to the podcast with anna dyson

Where I paint

I normally paint on my kitchen floor and fairly late at night. I don’t paint every day (although I would love to) as I would run out of places to dry my pieces. 

This year I have also painted in my garden in the day and with a friend (who Is also neurodivergent ) in my garden gazebo.

I always try and paint at the time of the full moon, eclipses, and other times such as the Winter and summer Solstice. 

Where I sell my art

Before lockdown I was selling at a local farmer’s market (in New Malden). I tend to avoid having stalls at markets generally as they require you to supply your own gazebo and tables and this is not possible for me due to my various conditions preventing me from being able to drive. I got round this issue with New Malden Farmers market by sharing with another stall holder and I was transporting my stock on the bus in my trusty shopping trolly.

I always try and paint at the time of the full moon, eclipses, and other times such as the Winter and summer Solstice. 

Photo (above) of the artist Anna Dyson in her art printed on leggings at New Malden, Local Farmers market. She is dressed in a purple coat and green top, a brown hat and has grey long hair. She stands beside her market stall with her designs printed on materials, clothes and original painted canvases.

Due to Lockdown this had to come to an end but to fill the gap I decided to take up a monthly pop up shop slot at a newly opened community hub in Hampton where I hope to resume once lockdown has finished. I love having the shop there as the hub has a lovely feel to it and the people there are very friendly and supportive of my complex needs. 

Photo of the artist in a chequered hat and blue top and her art printed leggings. Three leggings hang against the wall and she sells original paintings and other printed materials of her art.

I have also had to adapt and join a number of online markets and have made sales by setting up an inpromtu shop and gallery in my back garden and showing a customer around using the Facebook live app. 

My latest exhibitions during Lockdown and this Covid-19 period include:

  • The People Hive – Artist of the Month

  • Corner House Theatre Solo Exhibition online (due to Covid) and later in the venue for 8 weeks when restrictions lessened.

  • Magical Women: Artist of the Season (Autumn) solo and group exhibitions including Turquoise Dreams: My Serenity, Bark in Richmond Park (Archetypes and Trees).

  • Secret Art Fair, Environment Trust

  • “Strength in Feelings”, Third annual Virtual Dyslexia initiative Art Show

  • Hampton Inspired Hub Cafe Art Gallery

Ashes to Art

Last year, in June 2019, I was encouraged and inspired by a local celebrant to develop a bespoke intuitive abstract  memorial oil painting service. The celebrant (Rebecca Lee whale) had so much belief in this idea that she gave me a small bag of her mums ashes so I could create a memorial for her. She was very happy with the result and as a result Ashes to Art was launched at The Mortlake Crematorium Full Circle of Life Festival. I later extended this service to pet owners to honour the lives of their beloved pets. 

Find out more about Anna Dyson and her artwork at www.intuitiveoils.co.uk

Colours I love to use and how my art practice is transforming through Magical Women

Purple , fuschia pink and teal are my favourites and I am getting more adventurous since I have started to use acrylic paint so now I am adding Gold and silver paint. However… generally I don’t get much say in which colours I should use as they have generally appeared in my head before I have even considered what colours are available in my paint box. 

I am so grateful to have discovered Magical Women because having a group of neurodivergent women artists to connect with has been like a breath of fresh air to me. The workshops are so relaxing and inclusive so gradually I am feeling safe enough to be myself which is a very rare thing for me. My art practice has developed and continues to develop and evolve and I have been truly amazed and delighted by the pieces I have been able to produce.

I thoroughly enjoy the variety of the events that Elinor offers us and was so excited to have had my own solo online photography exhibition featuring my tree bark photos. 

Elinor has supported me immensely and helped me to identify possible autistic traits in myself which has lead to my requesting a full assessment.

Rachel Olin

Rachel Olin

by | Aug 2, 2023

artists
rachel olin

The artist, a white woman, with her eyes closed is dressed in a leopard printed T-shirt, is lying amongst the dolls she designs and makes.

Five Questions

01

Who are you as an artist and can you tell us a little bit about your art practice?

I’ve always found it hard to pin down exactly where I fit as an artist as I just love to create in as many ways as possible but recently I have settled into the labels of artist and maker. My practice spans from gallery installation and conceptual work to heirloom dolls and illustrations. Currently I’m focusing on my etsy shop and creating affordable art.

02

We’ve come across your stickers before and been blown away but this one especially talks to us, can you tell us a bit more about it?

A pile of the same sticker with the main one in the middle, a heart with a baby ready to be born in the main heart valve.

Thank you, that means a lot to me! This sticker has multifaceted meaning. I created it knowing I wanted to create an illustration to raise awareness of Peripartum Cardiomyopathy but it can also hold meaning to all mothers.

It shows a full term baby cradled within an anatomical heart as though in a womb. Since becoming a mother I’ve been interested in the relationship between mother and child and I read an article than really struck me, it stated that DNA from a foetus continues to reside in the mother long after delivery. Sometimes decades after pregnancy. Which means that every child we carry continues to be part of us.

I thought this was beautiful, as it means that every baby, even those that never made it earth side will always be with their mothers. I wanted my illustration to communicate this in addition to raising awareness of Peripartum Cardiomyopathy (PPCM).

03

Why was making this sticker so important?

This sticker illustration has a great deal of meaning to me as I am a survivor of peripartum cardiomyopathy. In addition to raising awareness of PPCM, I hope to raise money to help in research towards the understanding of the condition. PPCM is a uncommon pregnancy related heart failure affecting between 1 in 1000 and 1 in 3000 pregnancies. It is a form of dilated Cardiomyopathy that can develop from the third trimester up to 5 months post partum.

The condition causes the avoidable deaths of many women, often being missed due to symptoms being disregarded as ‘normal symptoms of pregnancy’. Personally I was blue lighted to hospital 4 days post partum with crippling chest pains, trembling, an unexplained dry cough and swelling. I couldnt breathe when laying flat and would wake gasping desperately for breath. I was readmitted into hospital and had many tests and observations every 4 hours, until finally being diagnosed with PPCM.

I was lucky in that my PPCM was relatively mild and I could go home with medication, a low salt diet and a promise to avoid exerting myself. I’ve heard accounts from other survivors, and their families, of ICU admissions, heart transplants, cardiac arrests and deaths. All in mothers that were either still pregnant, or had newly become mothers. For me the thought of leaving my fiance and new born baby boy was devastating. It terrified me to think that I’d just given birth to a little boy who would grow up without a mother, never knowing just how much I loved him.

04

Why is it important for you to raise money for the British Heart Foundation?

A pile of the same sticker with the main one in the middle, a heart with a baby ready to be born in the main heart valve.

Peripartum Cardiomyopathy, PPCM is still fairly unknown, with some doctors never having heard of it. Research is sparse, most of which having been conducted by an amazing Cardiologist, James Fett, who has dedicated his life to studying the condition and saving mothers and their babies. He continues to support survivors via a Facebook support page despite retiring last year.

I decided to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation as they are currently conducting the first UK study into the condition and I hope to help towards this worthwhile research however I can. It is vital that we collectively learn more about the condition to ensure midwives, GP’s and obstetricians are aware of the symptoms to save the lives of the mothers that develop the condition.

05

Where can people purchase this sticker?

This sticker can be purchased directly from my Facebook artist page, Instagram page or through my Etsy shop.

Facebook: Rachel Olin – Artist

Instagram: RachelOlinArtist
My full account of my experience can be read here.

Rachel, the artist, wearing glasses, holding her newborn son who is sleeping soundly on her chest as they enjoy some skin to skin contact.