Dear Readers, this is Mar.
Mar, these are the Dear Readers.
Now that we’ve gotten introductions out of the way…
You may not recognize Mar because they are usually back in the kitchen while at the Raven. They help to make the magic happen behind the scenes.
Ever tried the new Spinach Tomato Caprice Pita Pizza? Or the Hummus Veggie Deli Sandwich? You can thank Mar for creating those and contributing them to our fantastic fare selection!
(Serious business, if you have not tried these then get on that! Both are delicious.)
Mar also recommends the Valentine Vegetarian sandwich. (Another favorite of mine!)
If you have not seen Mar around the cafe, chances are you may have spotted some of their artwork. Particularly if you are a frequent visitor of the ladies’ lavatory.
Mar is the artist behind the ever-changing chalk murals in the restroom stalls.
The lavatory art actually began as a series of inspiring quotes. (I vaguely remember this.) Back then, there was a different artist in charge of the walls.
Shortly after Mar took over, we seemed to slowly run out of quotes of the inspirational variety. The artwork soon became centered more on cult movies and books, with notable quotes associated with the characters or themes being portrayed.
As I write this, the lavatory is decorated with a Game of Thrones stall and a Grinch stall. (My favorites so far have been Beetlejuice and Nightmare Before Christmas.)
Mar has also done flyers for bands and work on logos. As anyone who has produced physical artwork knows, that turned out to be a LOT of work and time. Mar found it too time consuming, with art projects piling up and not enough time to actively pursue all artistic avenues.
“Digital art is less steps! It still takes time, but it looks more professional.”
Most of Mar’s art these days is digital. For a commission, they will do digital portraits of both people and pets. The portraits can be used for your facebook profile picture, or you could get a portrait done as a gift for a friend or loved one. Who doesn’t love a good piece of custom art of themselves or their cat?
In addition to lavatory art, you can find Mar’s patches for sale here at the Raven. Mar says that it seems like art that was made by a different person. Over the years, their art has evolved past punk patches. But it’s still a fun thing to do, and people like them.
Mar also did a piece of artwork for the Raven’s Women’s Empowerment Movement. (Remember those postcards that we could fill out and send off to our Senators?) Mar’s piece was the picture with the hands. All of the different hands represented all different types of women, including transgender.
“Being transgender does not make you any less of a woman. Not everyone is cookie cutter.”
Mar identifies as non-binary and uses the pronouns “they” and “them”.
“It’s good that a local queer artist is getting recognition. This is important; gender should not be the focus of someone’s identity and determine what they are capable of.”
On the subject of the Raven, Mar says that working here is like working with family. “Everyone is creative in their own way, whether it’s with music, art, or acting. Everyone has their own thing, and supports the artistic endeavors of their coworkers.”
The Raven was The place to go when they were younger, so it was kind of weird when they started working here about four years ago. Weird, but awesome.
If you would like to check out more of Mar’s art, there’s a page for that!
https://www.facebook.com/hxrrorgrrrl
If you do Instagram, you can find more art there too: @holoxpleasures
Thanks for reading!
-Jessica, your Media Specialist