My Services

Classroom

I experience great joy when teaching, then witnessing, participants’  self-expression through collage. In each city where I’ve lived, I presented and taught this medium to all ages. Revelatory in nature, collage allows the hidden language of the subconscious to be fluidly translated into personal images. My offerings now give focus to exploring self-portraits and mandala forms. Both complement holistic therapy programs in general, and are especially effective for reintegration, post psychedelic journeys.

Two adult participants of a collage workshop each showing their creations.
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Teen student with her completed artwork created during a collage workshop.
Adult student standing, holding his finished collage art.
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Finished collage shown by participant.

Commissions

Book cover with view of Golden Gate bridge from San Francisco looking towards Marin County.
Cover of The Bridge, designed by MJ Connors Davison. A limited-edition book of 128 pages with sixty-four black and white photographs documenting many of the moods experienced of the Golden Gate Bridge by photographer / author, Christopher Upham. 8 x 8" 128 pages, printed by Edition One publishing. ISBN#978-1-7351903-0-3
Clockwise from top: view of Golden Gate Bridge from Crissy Field, SF View point, Marin Headlands, and the bridge itself.
Four images from The Bridge, a book of sixty-four black and white photographs documenting many of the moods experienced of the Golden Gate Bridge by photographer Christopher Upham. 8 x 8" 128 pages, printed by Edition One publishing. ISBN#978-1-7351903-0-3
Book Cover
2019, Fiction
Press Logo
2019

The Bridge, a soft-cover book, 2020, left and below left:

A curated collection of  black and white photographs are arranged in a narrative sequence within the The Bridge by Christopher Upham. Viewers are taken on a sweeping tour of the Golden Gate Bridge that begins from afar, in San Francisco, travels to the Marin side, and lands finally upon the bridge itself, close-up. Printed by the small-edition press, editiononebooks.com

8×8” 128 pages, 64 images. ISBN# 978.1.735.1903.0.3

“Saturn Portrait”  2019-2020, below and below left:
 
This mixed media painting, based on an Ancient Greek system describing four different human temperaments, is intended to mirror the recipient’s changing ways of being in the world as she approaches age 59. Within the yellow sanguine, choleric red, melancholy blue, and phlegmatic green, there are differences of clarity and intensity representing the current states of flux in her life. The circular diagram is superimposed with a symbol for the planet of Saturn, over which is an equilateral triangle and perfect circle signifying wholeness and stability. Around the circle, an atmosphere influences changes within it.
At the start of the project, the client and I applied specific temperament test results to establish a framework. We then had discussions over several months that added layers of information, allowing this portrait to more accurately reflect her commonly unseen self.
Daktoum Book Jacket, 2019, left:
This project gives an immediate indication of a semi-autobiographical book’s content. Soft colors evoke perception of Viet Nam’s earth and light, edged in jungle, overlaid with iconic military forms. The novel describes the red dust from the ground, the sound of the helicopters above, and the stationary towers anticipating threat as references for the ever-changing circumstances. Edges of imagery and text were left torn to support the uncertainty and instability of which the author writes.
 
 
 
 
“Cereus” Printing Press Logo, 2020, left:
For a series of novels, the Daktoum author commissioned a logo for his printing press name. Having grown up in Arizona, the Night-Blooming Cereus flower particularly resonated for him. Otherwise known as Reina de la Noche, or Queen of the Night, it blooms once, after the Summer Solstice, emerging spectacularly from its unlikely cactus host. Cereus evokes the core of the author’s overcoming struggles by keeping faith in the beauty of life.
Contact for a commission

Testimonials

"Reaffirming Faith" 12 x 15" 2015
"MJ was an excellent leader for our collage party. She gave us a good introduction and then went around the room encouraging and helping people to feel comfortable in trying something new and exciting. Every one of our guests had a great time!"
Danny and Joanne​ W.Party Hosts
"Like faith itself, MJ’s “Reaffirming Faith” presides over larger and more visible artworks at the heart of our home. Hers always tells a story, is fun and loving, and in line, media, and color, is never ordinary. MJ's wise work delights with every viewing."
Andrew C.​Attorney
"Working with MJ has been a delight. Her creativity, easy manner, and considerable artistic skills have encouraged me into deeper understanding, helping me to realize the fullest expression of my work."
Christopher U.Writer and Filmmaker
"Two of MJ’s extraordinary paintings hang adjacent to our bed. They are often the first sight that comes into my focus upon waking in the morning. The colors and shapes beckon me forward and inward at the same time, reminding me to breathe in the beauty that the world offers up everyday."
SusanRetired, Park Service
"MJ presents her collage classes with well-researched knowledge, organization, passion, and accessibility. Her high regard for this medium, with her teaching style, allowed me as a painter, to relate to the artistic elements of composition with a new understanding and with a fresh delight in the process."
Robin L.MSW, LCSW
"We commissioned MJ to create our wedding book. She was inspired by our love and followed her vision to make a magnificent work of art that 30 years later still stands as a living and true representation of our vows."
Pat & Jenny D. Forever Newlyweds
"Doing our collage workshop with MJ was super fun. She encouraged us to explore and create, showing us lots of new possibilities."
MeganTeen Workshop Participant
"MJ's teaching style towards entering the creative zone and supporting the collage experience was perfection. She is such a phenomenal guide and intuitive."
KimCFP, Wealth Manager
"MJ's guidance is... part creative challenger, part soul cheerleader, and part devil's advocate. I love how she encouragingly leads this work/play."
JillianDir., Lajja Studio
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MIXED MEDIA ARTIST | DESIGNER | TEACHER