About

My story~ Mary Marlatt

About me, the artist: What a life! I’ve had many great years and some not so great. I have been blessed and have had many challenges in life.

I grew up a cradle Catholic in a large happy family, surrounded by 5 siblings. My parents who I am blessed to still have near me, love us all and taught us right from wrong. We learned many great values not the least of which is to work hard. I am very grateful for those lessons. My Mom and Dad both were always making something out of nothing and the wisdom and skills rubbed off on us. I loved to create from my earliest days and paper and crayons were among my favorite toys. Dad was always an adventurer and so our vacations were both fun and educational. We spent a lot of time outdoors and because of this I grew to love nature. I am especially fond of trees. In many ways we were sheltered and so when a bit of freedom started to show up in my life I abused it. A child of the 70’s and 80’s, the culture of sex, drugs, and rock and roll played a big influence on my choices. Most of the challenges I faced were because of choices made in my teens and early adult years, which took me down some not so righteous roads. I am not proud to have left the church when I left home. I lost a lot of the true friends I had in my childhood, and the respect of many with whom I was once close. One of the only regrets I have in life is hurting those who truly loved me.

Thankfully, I always held tightly to love for Jesus and found our Blessed Mother fascinating and beautiful. Having her name was an honor, and a string which kept me tethered to my faith, though at a distance. At the top of my hardships is the loss of my only two children to tubal pregnancies followed by 4 years of other female issues ending my chances of giving birth and putting great toll on my body in other ways as well. I’ve had some amazing life experiences, traveled for 7 years working at renaissance festivals, arts and craft shows, and gun shows selling broadswords and jewelry. It was during that time that many of my talents were brought out pushed a bit by a partner. They became lifelong joys and rather expensive hobbies. I worked with amazing people in my corporate career, I met a lot of interesting and some really odd people. A 3 week trip to Thailand and Cambodia was probably the most culturally intense experience I ever had and I am grateful to have had the opportunity. The people there taught me a lot by their gratitude and sheer joy for life despite what we in the USA consider extreme poverty and hardship. I was a different person when I returned….more like the Mary of my childhood. I met God there in the faces of strangers and because of how it changed me I was led back to family…both blood, and church. Upon return to the church a few years later, I went to RCIA and then lived Cursillo…I have not been the same spiritually since, and that is pure Holy Spirit!

God’s grace, forgiveness, mercy, and providence are astounding to me. That is not to say life is always peachy, in fact the last year two years through covid have been very challenging. As I age, I find I’m not able to do the things I could before. I was a very strong woman, and cleaning houses, doing yard work and odd jobs, as I was for 5 years, is now a thing of the past since May of 2021. After more than a month being unable to stand or walk for more than a few minutes without excruciating pain and several months of drs visits, a treatment was finally found which has alleviated a lot of the pain. The treatments are unfortunately not a cure and leave me fatigued and with decreased functionality. I have an auto immune disease called Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) which attacks the bones and another called dactylitis which specifically targets the feet. AS affects people differently some in only a couple parts of the body and some all over. To try to explain, because of the almost constant arthritic type pain, the body thinks the joints need reinforcement. It produces calcium deposits which fuse the joints causing mobility issues in many and paralysis in some. So far I am mostly functional again, but have to take very frequent breaks from all physical activities. My two middle toes are about double normal size and are very stiff and sensitive when I try to bend them… like the pressure on them when standing up from kneeling or being down on the floor. The rheumatologist said don’t expect that to change much if at all. I am also affected by lower back and hip pain and stiffness following extended periods of standing or sitting. I try to get up often and switch positions and do stretches to alleviate the issue, but standing long enough to fill the dishwasher, prepare a decent meal or wash a sink of dishes or take a shower can be long enough to set it off. The medications often cause nausea and fatigue.

BUT… everything in life can be a blessing if you look hard enough. Because of this turn of events I am now creating more art, WHICH I LOVE!!…and through this page and those like you sharing it, I hope to be able to once again support myself without assistance from the friends and family who have been abundantly generous and patient while I work to get this going. Because God has led me here I want to also give back to him so my subjects are now focused on but not limited to the Christ centric. Thankfully paintings can be done seated, drawings and jewelry too, or even in my lap if it’s a really bad day. Quilting is an up and down endeavor between sitting and standing, so the long arm quilting machine my sister blessed me with is put to good use. I am proud to be a member of NAQG (Norman Area Quilters Guild) and St. Mark the Evangelist Women’s Auxilaiary, both of which support many ministries and organizations locally and beyond. All sales are for my personal sustenance but as this grows a portion of my sales will help me continue to once again be able to give (generously I hope) to the many charitable organizations with which I have personal experience. They help sustain and protect life at all stages, allow dignity to those who find themselves down on their luck or facing challenges which require difficult choices they could not overcome alone, and some that spread the love and truth of Christ to the world. Among my favorites are Grace Home, Catholic Radio, St Vincent DePaul, Dynamic Catholic, Catholic Charities, Ministries of Jesus, Gospel of Life Dwellings…and so many more. Please feel free to email me to learn more about any of these organizations and I will put you in touch with someone who can give you more details.

Thank you for taking your time to read about my story. Please pray for me…I am praying for you!