“What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

A true artist, Detroit-born Marvalisa has been an artist all of her life but only recently translated her talent into an art career. Her earlier use of various marker techniques have evolved to an almost exclusive use of acrylics. Her style is diverse, consisting of abstract figures created from subconscious visions. Marvalisa follows an intuitive vibe when preparing to create a painting. The choice of colors reflect her emotions while bold designs and the brightness of color stimulate the senses of the onlooker.

“My true inspiration comes from doing and enjoying every moment of the creative process.”

Marvalisa discovered her artistic talent in early childhood. She often found herself doodling all sorts of images whenever possible. She had a natural ability to recreate characters from the pages of her coloring books, pictures from magazines, and create characters from her own imagination.  She often duplicates her original images to create notebook covers, personalized greeting cards and invitations. Her first art lesson came from her late mother who proved to be a creative and gifted person as well.

Later in life Marvalisa developed her own signature style and technique.  She composed the characters seen on the cover of her notebook design entitled “Friends”.  She described the animated characters as “happy-heads” and as a result she developed Happy – Heads Publishing in September of 2003 as a means to produce, publish and distribute her art in various forms. Many successful artists have inspired her passion and joy for art. But her true inspiration comes from doing and seeing the full creation.

“I see people in my paintings in colors, sizes and shapes but only in the abstract which makes it hard to tell what is real and what is hidden,” she says. “The solitude and fulfillment that come from the creation process make creating art an essential part of my life.”

She has been inspired by a variety of artists which include some of Detroit’s most talented and successful artist and has taken a strong liking to the works of international artist Alfred Gockel, Romero Britto and Francois Ledan, commonly known as “Fanch“.