About

I’m Marla, a watercolor and mixed media artist creating joyful and light-filled work rooted in a simple belief: small sacred moments matter. Beauty in ordinary life is sacred.

My paintings are about permission—permission to notice grace in the everyday, permission to be wildly free in a good and beautiful moment. They’re born from a theology of light: light as grace, color as joy, botanicals as living things reaching toward something greater. Every painting asks, What if the ordinary was the most holy thing we could witness?

My work is loose and intuitive, stemming from random thoughts and whispers in my head such as “What if this phrase was a painting? What would it look like?” or “What does it feel like to be wandering free?” I work with pen and ink, sometimes adding metallic accents or unexpected splatters of color. Each piece feels more like conversation than control—I listen to where the water wants to go, where the brush finds rhythm.

I’m shaped by the work of artists and writers like Matt Tommey, Rick Rubin, Makoto Fujimura, Theresa Dedmon, and many more—creative spirits whose exploration of faith, process, and permission have shaped how I understand my own practice. My paintings aren’t trying to preach; they’re trying to whisper.

Marla Saunders Studios exists to make this work accessible—from original paintings to giclée prints on archival paper, digital downloads, and notecards.

Whether you’re drawn to a single print, a collection, or a notecard that speaks to you, I hope you find something here that feels like permission: permission to play, bask in the sun, wrap yourself in a cozy blanket or just sit with the feeling of wandering free.

With light and gratitude,
Marla

All giclée prints are created on archival paper with archival inks, designed to last as a cherished part of your home for years to come.