Artist Mara Carlini
I love to make art that brightens your day!
Hi! I’m Mara. I love making art that brings a spark of happiness to your day!
Bio
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Mara received her Bachelor of Art in Studio Art with a focus on drawing and painting from Allegheny College in 2011. She has studied with Italian artists in Italy in 2009 and 2010. She studied holistic healing by becoming a Reiki Practitioner in 2008, a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) in 2011, and obtaining a Masters of Science in Acupuncture and Oriental medicine in 2015. She has participated in several shows in Pennsylvania in the early 2010s, taking a brief hiatus in 2013-2017 to pursue her acupuncture practice while still creating art on the side. In 2018, Mara exhibited art in Clearwater Florida and surrounding areas in 2020-2022.
Mara lives in Moon Township, PA with her husband, Brent, and daughter. She is obsessed with her Golden Retriever Magnus, Tuxedo cat Arya (recently passed), and Cow-cat Gwennie.
Mara seriously loves: family, golden retrievers, yoga, meditation, sunshine, running, biking, the ocean, tennis, reading, laughing, chocolate, tea, whole foods cooking, and…art.
Mindfulness.
At age 19, I was introduced to mindfulness and meditation through yoga. My mind was complete “monkey mind” and so scattered. I found that the only place that gave me solace in my mind was at yoga classes and art classes. I felt like I could finally settle my mind; all the stress, worry, anxieties, and fears would calm down to a stillness.
The amazing, calming feeling of stillness from Yoga intrigued me to journey deeper into the web of my mind. Why was I so stressed? Why did I care so much about what others thought of me? Those distractions kept me from peace. Was there ever balance that could be achieved?
These thoughts led me to find joy through my artwork. At age 20, through practice of reiki, consistent meditation, and yoga, I fell in love with mindfulness and started a meditation club at Allegheny College at age 21, and became a 200 RYT certified yoga instructor at age 22, and immediately began teaching yoga weekly. One year later, I enrolled in acupuncture school and became an acupuncturist and herbalist at age 26 with a private practice for over 10 years.
Mandalas
The first mandala I made was the guest book for my zen-themed wedding. It was meant to be a one-time thing. Each petal was where the guests of my wedding signed, so I needed a mandala that would hold over 250 signatures in petals big enough for each name!
The process of this mandala was so meditative. My intention for the mandala was purely of family and to celebrate my relationship with my husband. With the intentions I put in, along with my family's love-infused signatures in all of the petals, I feel the love of family and friends each time I look at it.
Once I finished the wedding mandala, I craved to make more.
Mandalas are where I turn to for peace and organization of my mind. As you know, I continue to make many mandalas from that day in 2015 until now. Each mandala is enriched with the intentions I need at the time. They are all authentically what my soul is yearning for, or what I want reflected back to me to feel at peace.
These are intuitions that bring connection from the divine into the physical world. If you are drawn to a certain mandala, it is meant to align your energy.
School, Shows, Awards, and more
School
Bachelor's of the Arts Degree: Studio Art, Allegheny College Masters of Science Degree: Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, Finger Lakes School of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in Seneca Falls, NY
Licensed Acupuncturist and Herbalist in the state of Pennsylvania
Registered Yoga Teacher 200 with Yoga Alliance, Reiki Level 1 & II (Usui)
Art Gallery Exhibitions:
Penn State New Kensington Art Gallery 2006, 2007
Allegheny Valley Hospital Gallery 2009
Artforms Gallery and Tattoo 2010, 2011
Allegheny College: Bowman and Penelec Galleries 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
SACI Gallery in Florence, Italy 2010
New Kensington Art Center Gallery 2015
Northland Public Library Art Gallery 2019
North Hills Art Center Gallery Shows for Students and Members
(8 shows) from 2017-2020
Awards:
Doane Art Award (Allegheny College) 2010
Senior Projects Honorable Mention (Allegheny College) 2011
Art Festivals:
2019: Monroeville PA Spring Fever Arts and Crafts Festival, Greensburg PA Twin Lakes Arts & Heritage Festival, Mind Body Spirit Healing Expo Monroeville, PA.
2020: Mind Body Spirit Healing Expo Monroeville PA, All remaining Festivals Cancelled due to Covid-19.
2021: Dunedin, FL
2022: Fort Myers, FL and Sarasota, FL