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I recently caught up with Somerville artist C. Marlo Feinberg. From her website:

Marlo currently focuses on working in pen and ink, and oils. Her subjects capture her own personal life and her deep interests through her own eyes. Some of those are counterculture, dogs, music, architecture, history, movement, and the abstract.

Marlo has had her art shown in galleries starting at age 15 where she sold her first painting, she has since written and illustrated 2 children’s books that have sold worldwide, a poetry book, and has been designing logos/ album covers since the age of 16. She continues to do all of the above plus freelance writing for publications, and now resides in Somerville, Massachusetts with her pianist husband, Jesse Feinberg and dog Charles Montgomery.

Doug Holder: First off, how has it been for you as an artist in Somerville?

Marlo Feinberg: It’s been incredible. I have slowly been working my way towards the Boston area for nearly two decades because of art and music. Somerville is so concentrated with art that the surroundings inspire me to produce some form of art every day.

DH: Your husband is a pianist. Does this fact influence your own work?

CMF: Yes, because I love seeing how things work and then drawing them, and he has two pianos that I have been able to study, draw, and paint pictures of. Jesse also teaches me piano and I teach him painting.

DH: You have illustrated many books. I noticed you illustrated a poetry book. As a poet, I would be interested to know how you come up with ideas for illustrating poetry?

CMF: I love this question because my father-in- law, Michael writes poetry and he sent me an email with poems about the High Holidays. I read one called Mountain Air and as I started reading it, this image popped into my head of a man walking barefoot on mossy, dark green terrain, that is crinkled like the human brain. There is a blue sky, one fluffy cloud, a sun with a smile, etc. That’s how my thought process works. Old cartoons also really influenced me, especially the ones to classical music.

DH: I noticed you have a series of painting of dogs, some with vivid color and hypnotic eyes. Does your own dog inspire you? I own a cat. For me cats are eye candy. Do have the same fascination with our feline friends?

CMF: Monty does inspire me to paint! I study him frequently and he is the model for most of my dog paintings. The eyes are important to me, the windows to the soul. Cat’s eyes are like marbles!

DH: You paint faces as well. Do you just conjure them up or are they real people?

CMF: Thank you. I’ve never actually tried studying and painting someone’s face either in person or from a reference. This is all from practicing over time and memory. It may be the reason that my faces aren’t exactly real looking, but I enjoy them distorted a bit.

DH: Is there any mission or message in your work?

CMF: Yes, one is to be kind to animals, especially dogs. The other is resilience. I have painted, drawn, and dug my way through some very dark times and it’s important to stay strong.