Spring
2008

Hello, I am Marge. I have been involved with crafts most of my life. From teaching ceramics in my home's basement when my kids were growing up to teaching adults as a grandmother, I love what I do. No two pieces are alike, I don't work "assembly line" style. I cut, sand, paint, sculpt & create many pieces from their raw form. I paint on most surfaces, including customizing homes in my area.

This web site has been created by my children to help me keep up with additional purchases after crafts fairs and friends' inquiries. Feel free to buy any merchandise, shipping is always extra. Colors may not be the same as you see on your particular monitor at home, and some items may no longer be available. Gift wrapping is available for an extra charge for your door-to-door hand painted gift.

My most recent interview with Florida's Citrus County Chronicle is from February 2006.

Thank you for visiting my web site,

Marge

Excerpts from Florida's Citrus County Chronicle interview by Deborah Bradbury in September 2001:

It doesn't matter if you've been naughty or nice. If you're looking for a Christmas present made by Marge Freund of Bevery Hills, you may be disappointed.

An expert crafter who paints flowers and landscapes on ordinary household items, her work is often sold out before the Thanksgiving turkey is skin and bones. Freund's crafts will be for sale at the 12th annual Harvest Moon Craft Show at the National Guard Armory in Crystal River.

..."I wanted to paint all my life but didn't know how to do it, and I couldn't afford to take art lessons. I'd see Donna Dewberry on television doing this and I said 'I can do this'. I learned from television and through a kit all by myself. For simple things like candles, it took me three or four weeks to learn simple, basic strokes. Then I would go to the next page in the book and practice another stroke or flower until I got good."

Now the consummate artist and entrepreneur, Freund sells everything from wicker baskets to clocks and buckets....Freund has made hundreds of pieces over the years, but says her mailboxes are by far the most popular.

..."What would happen is that I would give things as gifts, and then people would to into (the person's) home and say 'Where did you get this?' I've never advertised; it's more like word of mouth."

As busy as her projects keep her, Fruend says her greatest love is teaching others how to paint by the one-stroke method. Each student begins by painting roses, leaves and branches on a birdhouse.

"I can take a person who knows absolutely nothing about painting, and within six weeks, I will have them painting."

...Like most artists, Freund finds that her work is therapeutic.

"It's my way of relaxing," she said. "If I get uptight about anything, I go right to my paint. I get lost when I start painting. I lose all track of time. Sometimes I paint at one or two in the morning. It keeps my mind young and healthy. The more you use your brain, the easier it's going to be. You're always creating something."