About - Island Time Oasis Original Coastal Artwork

About Me

I’m Marissa, a Florida-based artist, writer, and otherwise creative soul. I draw my inspiration from the natural beauty that surrounds me in the Sunshine State. My favorite things to paint are beachscapes and tropical sunsets, but if it inspires me, it’s fair game for me and my paintbrushes. I’m a little obsessed with geckos, and they’re a recurring theme among my designs.

As a neurodivergent creative, I create to support my mental health and to bring joy to others. If you frequent my Facebook page or my blog here, you’ll see that I often write to process my sometimes chaotic feelings, and to help others do the same.

The traditional 9-5 is not for me. Been there, done that. Had a breakdown (not really, it was actually burnout). I create because it’s something I can do with my life that brings me peace, gives me purpose, and helps me support myself.

If you’re here for just the art or just the writing, sorry. It’s all a package deal!

I hope you’ll stick around with me on this life journey.

♡ M

My Story – The Short Version

Creativity has always been a core part of who I am. They don’t give away “creative” awards in 5th grade for nothing! I always had a new crafty hobby on my radar growing up (and honestly, I still am this way. Thanks, ADHD!).

However, it wasn’t until my freshman year of high school that I took an interest in painting. After taking an introductory acrylic painting class, I was hooked. In true neurodivergent fashion, I bought all the supplies I needed and set up my little “studio” in the utility room of my house. Fun fact: I still use my first tabletop easel!

Acrylic painting has been a recurring thread throughout my life since. When my content writing work started to diminish, I decided I should take a chance and lean into my art. That was February of 2023, and I’ve been growing ever since!

This last year + has been a period of tremendous growth, faith, doubts, setbacks, and successes. I wouldn’t trade it for anything (except maybe a million and a half dollars?).

Some of my earliest works.

An acrylic painting of a cylindrical clay vase containing thin reeds. The vase is a natural clay color with a reddish band around the middle. It's sitting on a dark avocado green table. The background is light blue. — This was a practice piece I did at home after learning about how to make cylindrical objects appear three-dimensional.

An acrylic painting of a white dove on a pink cherry blossom covered twig. The background is variegated with light blue and green. — We often used calendar photos for painting references in my introductory acrylic class. I was (and still am) pretty happy with how this dove turned out.

A brick wall with an old wooden door, covered heavily in purple wisteria vines. There is long green grass in the foreground. The painting is reminiscent of Italy and the evokes feelings that it is a secret garden place. — I’d like to say this was all me, but I had some help from the instructor to crisp up the details on this one.

An acrylic painting of a sunset on Lake Bled in Slovenia. The Pilgrimage Church of the Assumption of Mary sits nestled in the trees of Bled Island. — This piece was also inspired by a calendar image. I have since learned that it is a depiction of Bled Island on Lake Bled in Slovenia.

A painting of a medieval castle. The stone is a rusty brown color. The pillars at the front are made to look like pink lipsticks. There is a black cat on the drawbridge that covers a shark-patrolled moat. The background consists of a green hedge and blue sky. — For this piece (from a different class), I was asked to choose 3 items to represent myself and incorporate them into a painting. I chose the castle, lipstick (pillars), and an adorable black cat.

Values + Goals

Inspire Joy

I want everything I create to bring someone joy, even if that person is just me. I know my art isn’t for everybody, but I believe there’s someone out there to appreciate every piece I make.

Maintain Transparency

Transparency is important to me. I will never give you the runaround regarding pricing, or anything else for that matter. That’s just good business.

Build a Strong Foundation

Creativity doesn’t pay the bills. That is, unless people who appreciate creativity foster it. Like any creative, my goal is to create brand new art to share with the world, while also setting myself up for long-term success. Every single sale means so much to me!