Marcia Smith received her degrees in ceramics, and for the first part of her artistic life worked exclusively in clay.  She taught Ceramics at that Madison Area Technical College for nearly 25 years, only recently retiring.  During her teaching years, she experimented with many media, and now works with watercolor almost as much as she works with clay.  One of her abiding interests is lettering, which she includes in many of her paintings, and on her pots - and now on a violin!

Throughout the ages, writers have tried to describe the meaning and importance of music to themselves and to others.  An impossible goal!  They have managed, however, to say many beautiful and insightful things.   Given the opportunity to work on an actual violin, I decided that instead of painting the surface, I would go for the unusual,:  I would combine my cache of music quotes with my calligraphic background, and cover the surface with the love of music.  It was an adventure to work with a pen on such an unusual shape and surface, with many a search around my studio to find just the right prop to hold my hand or the violin at the right angle, but I thoroughly enjoyed it! 

        I know that these quotes will touch everyone who loves music, and really admire WYSO’s efforts to encourage that love in the young people of Wisconsin.