Welcome to the Magical World Of Marcus S.
Marcus shares two of his favorite characters
Marcus S. has been a Member Artist at Creative Clay since 2022. Born in the Bronx, he moved to Florida with his mom and older sister when he was about five years old. He still lives with Mom, and at 35, it’s clear that Creative Clay is an ideal place for him to spend his day.
When asked what type of art he enjoyed creating most, Marcus pulled out a thick stack of construction paper, each filled with colorful characters drawn with colored pencils.
“My favorite thing to do at Creative Clay—okay, well, my favorite thing to do anywhere—is to work on my characters. Usually, I draw one, then I make up its name. Sometimes, I look at my list of names first.” Marcus pulls out a small stack of notes, held together with giant paper clips and filled with names. “The hardest part of all is coming up with a new name every time.”
Marcus' collection of potential character names
He continues, “I like to draw stories. I love Japanese anime. I try to make up names that sound Japanese. In my story, I draw princesses who need protection. The bad guys are after them, for some reason. They want their magic energy. I draw elf sorcerers, and different sized elves, and squirrel ladies, bunny rabbit ladies, hedgehog ladies, bird ladies, elemental sorcerers and demon king warriors. We just travel around in magical worlds and negotiate peace treaties between magical creatures and elves and bug demons. Amanda is an elemental princess who is always in danger. She helps save the world. The bad guys want her information about who’s leading the rebel army against the shadow warriors and bug demons.” When asked, Marcus couldn’t produce any of his princesses. “I do all my princesses at home,” he explained. “All the characters I draw here at Creative Clay are backup characters for my show. I like to draw my characters here more, because no one sees them at home. But I have to keep my princesses safe, so they’re at home.”
A selection of characters from Marcus' prolific collection
When asked about his goals for the future, he replied, “I want to do a cartoon show one day named Fourteen Heroes.”
Suddenly, Marcus becomes the character he imagines himself to be in his show. His voice raises excitedly: “The fourteen heroes, we can’t fight an army on our own against 900 million. Even MY hero can’t handle that many, and I can fly, and shoot black fire! But I can’t handle an army that large, even with my super strength and speed!”
He jumps up in full character and proclaims, “If you want this kingdom, you gotta go through ME FIRST! I don’t care if I’m exhausted, and my armor is cracked. I just charge in, no plan, and … SLASH!”
King Slime by Marcus S.
Marcus’s adventure went on for another 10 minutes, full of colorful details. He was in full battle mode, swinging an imaginary spear, shouting at slime kings and rat kings, some of whom were dining on wild mushrooms…
At that point, his day at Creative Clay had come to an end, and Marcus’s ride was outside. But it was clear that Fourteen Heroes has not yet written its final chapter.
And as Marcus headed out the door, he was talking about his princesses, who were at home, awaiting his return.
Recent Exhibitions By Marcus S.
The Good Folk Show Good Folk Gallery, Jan 2024
Summertime Good Folk Gallery, July August 2024
A Folk Art Holiday Good Folk Gallery, Nov Dec 2024
RETROSPECTIVE 30: Featuring 30 Years of Creative Clay’s Artists Good Folk Gallery, January 2025
Carmen Inspired St. Petersburg Opera Company, May June 2025