Marla’s works, described as Figures in Flow©, are inspired by her love of dance, music making, swimming and other joyous movement. Her exhibits have included one-woman shows at Zuzu Middle Eastern Restaurant in Central Square, the Politics And Prose Bookstore Cafe in Washington DC and the Hampshire County YMCA in Northampton, MA over multiple years. She’s been part of group shows with the Cambridge Art Association, the Shelburne Falls Bridge of Flowers Art Show, the Harvard University Staff Art Show, the Harvard Law School Bicentennial and the Paradise City Arts Festival. When not making art, spending time with family or studying piano, Marla is working as an attorney and clinical social worker. Her photo depicts her jumping for joy in New York City in front of one of the many beautiful doorways she has photographed there.
Q and A with the Artist
TELL US ABOUT YOUR ART AND EXHIBIT EXPERIENCE?
My artworks, Figures in Flow (TM), are inspired by my love of dance, making music, swimming and other joyous movement. Annual exhibits, with new works each year, have included solo shows at Zuzu Middle Eastern Restaurant in Central Square, Cambridge, the Politics and Prose Bookstore Café in Washington DC and at the Hampshire County YMCA in Northampton MA. I have also been part of group shows with the Cambridge Art Association, the Shelburne FallsBridge of Flowers Benefit Art Show, the Harvard University Staff Art Show and the Harvard Law School Bicentennial. This year, I participated for the first time in the Paradise City Arts Festival in Marlborough in the spring of 2026 and I hope to participate again both in Northampton and Marlborough. I sell large originals, medium-sized foam core reproductions, small framed works and greeting cards. I also am receptive to requests for commissioned works that meet individual needs and interests.
WHAT IS YOUR EXPERIENCE OF MAKING ART?
I tend to start drawing with a gesture in mind, imagining the feeling of a graceful stretch, a dive, a leap or physical representation of a feeling. I draw with white pencil on black paper. I can’t remember how that started or why but, I find that black is more forgiving – the eye presumes what hasn’t been drawn a little more. I also find that it’s much easier to erase and redraw on black paper. I will often start a figure and then leave it on my drawing board for days. I might put it on a shelf for longer and start a new one. Sometimes I will take a black drawing pad and draw until I like something – for every piece of art, there are many images that I have decided not to pursue. I have collected various artisanal and international papers – I try to imagine the figures interacting with the various papers and listen for what blends and amplifies. What fun it is to try this and that until it lands in a way that feels like – ‘yes.’ I often find myself curious to see “who” has shown up on the drawing board.
HAVE YOU LEARNED ANYTHING ABOUT YOURSELF THROUGH MAKING ART?
One thing that I find particularly curious is that the “me” that comes out when I make art is a me that is light, airy, graceful, whimsical, joyous, full of jetes and exuberance. It’s seldom that anything heavy in tone comes out. This is interesting to me because most people who know me, except for those who know me in the stand-up comedy and Moth story-telling communities, know the more serious side of me (as lawyer and psychotherapist).
One of the things I most enjoy about art is that it is outside the world of words. I generally only title my pieces so that I can submit them to shows or identify them for placement on cards, posters and my website. For my purposes, names attached to my art have very little meaning for me. I spend so much of my professional life wrapped up in the world of words; art making is one place where I can swim in the seas of movement, angle, perspective, shape, texture, design and color. It is a meditative space.
WHEN DID YOU START MAKING ART?
I’ve been doodling since early childhood and at one point, my youngest sister asked if she could have three of my drawings that were sitting on the family kitchen table. Upon her return to California, she framed the three drawings as a triptych and sent me a photo. I am grateful to my sister for opening my eyes to new vistas (you should see her photographs!). I saw my art in a new way. I enjoy engaging in an activity that involves wordless creativity. I started drawing more seriously in 2016 and when the pandemic began, in 2020, I found myself drawing a lot more.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY ABOUT SHARING YOUR ART WITH OTHERS?
One of the things I’ve enjoyed about making art is the interaction with others who are either viewing or buying my art–one buyer told me that one piece (a figure jumping into water) reminded them of their sister in its exuberance. The art helped her feel closer, even though they live in different states. Another swimming themed artwork was purchased by the director of a state Masters swimming program as inspiration for her team. A dollar earned by selling my art puts a smile on my face in a way that surpasses the value. It’s a joy to witness what resonates for others. When purchasers of my art are willing, I enjoy seeing photos of where “the art lands” – where they hung the art– in their home or office. My art is now in collections in the US (including Hawaii), Canada and Russia. I also enjoy talking with people about their reactions during art receptions.
YOUR MOTHER IS A PAINTER – HAVE YOU HAD ANY INTERESTING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ART MAKING?
Yes, my mother Darlein Stein (www.darleinsteinart.com) is an amazing painter and artist. She has given me wise counsel about how to respond if someone asks, “What does your art mean to you?” Mom believes, “Art is in the eyes of the beholder,” and that it is important to encourage the viewer of the art to talk about what it means to them.
This advice came in handy during a solo show at the Politics and Prose Bookstore Cafe in Washington, DC. One of the pieces hanging in the show depicted a single figure standing with crossed legs directed toward the left with the arms reaching toward a sun off to the right. A woman came up to me and asked what that piece meant to me. For me, it was a graceful gesture and I’d had visual delight in choosing the specialty papers and design of the cuts that would complement the movement; that was it.
Remembering my mother’s advice, I answered, “I’m glad to tell you, but, first I’d love to know what it means to you.” As it turned out, this piece of art meant a lot to her. What she told me was that the position of the figure reminded her of advice she often gave to herself: “I need to stay grounded while also reaching for the stars.” This woman turned out to be the director of a major civil rights organization. I was delighted to provide any part of inspiration to her. She later sent me a photograph showing where the artwork landed in her office. I’m so glad to have learned what it meant to her as I never would have guessed.
HOW DOES MAKING ART FIT INTO YOUR DAILY LIFE?
One thing is that art, for me, is never a ‘should’ – it’s only in my life for joy. My partner sometimes watches a murder mystery on tv (with headphones) and I’ll then work at my art table which is in the same space – our living room – we can be together and connect as well as do our own things. Sometimes I’ll ask my partner to pose so I can photograph an arm in a certain position or other movement and then draw it more easily. Art-making is my reward at the end of a day. Drawing is my opportunity to swim and float and dive and soar, all with the still-point of my pencil. Lately people have been asking if they might come to see my “studio,” and I reply, “Sure come to our living room and have some tea or coffee with me. We’ll talk art.”
WHAT ELSE DO YOU DO WHEN NOT MAKING ART? In addition to making art, I am a writer/playwright, student of piano and I am blessed to enjoy two disciplines, as an attorney and clinical social worker. I am the founder and former director (1996-2016) of Full Circle Adoptions which role I enjoyed until accepting the position of psychotherapist to Harvard Law School (2016-2023). Since then, in an effort to avoid COVID (so far so good), I’ve stayed fully remote and enjoy a private practice with Perspectives Psychotherapy PLLC* as well as in the care division of the meditation app Headspace. Wearing my attorney hat, I provide professional education and private consultation on complex adoption matters. I have been a Vipassana meditator since 1989, an endeavor that also shows up on the drawing board at times.
(* Private Practice: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/marla-allisan-cambridge-ma/749835)
DO YOU HAVE ANY PARTICULAR ARTISTIC DREAMS?
My mother and I have batted around the idea of a mother/daughter art show. Neither of us have the time for the administrative part of that endeavor. If you’re a patron of the arts and would love to discuss helping realize this dream or have other thoughts for sharing this art, feel free to reach out! I
THANK YOU FOR ENJOYING MY ART!
Marla 413.427.8701