About Marcia

Marcia Willman’s life-long love of watercolors was first inspired by family friend and well-known Kansas City watercolor artist, Mathew Monks. She took her first art class with Mathew at the Nelson Atkins Museum as a child. After graduating college with a degree in political science, Marcia moved to San Francisco where she discovered the local art scene and learned watercolor and collage art from Canadian artist, David Tygesen. Together they started a Color Xerox art business before Color Xerox was commercially available and tagged the streets of San Francisco with collaged play bills featuring local punk bands. She eventually returned to Kansas City where she pursued a Master’s in Public Administration and worked for years in nonprofit management. As a creative outlet while working, Marcia completed a certificate in fine arts with a painting emphasis from the Kansas City Art Institute in 2010. She has taken master workshops with world renowned watercolor artists Joseph Zbukvic, Andy Evansen, Alvaro Castagnet, and Mary Whyte.

Since 2012, Marcia concentrates on painting watercolor en plein air (outdoors). She loves spending time outside and cares deeply about our fragile environment: both natural and built. She enjoys painting the ocean, sea side, boats, urban streets, small towns, parks, conservation areas, and the countryside. Marcia captures the mood, atmosphere, and feelings engendered from being immersed in and becoming one with each scene. She has enjoyed the challenge of plein air festivals where the encouragement of patrons and spectators and the exposure to and camaraderie with other artists informs and inspires her personal artistic growth. Marcia has enjoyed winning a few awards and selling a number of paintings in regional plein air competitions.

Marcia has participated in numerous solo, juried, invitational and group shows since 2000. Her works are in corporate and private collections from California to New York.

She is a member of the Monterey Bay Plein Air Association and Urban Sketchers of Kansas City.