A few week’s ago Monsieur le critic — the one who says Julia Restoin-Roitfeld has no talent and Mario Testino is a totally used up photographer — took us on a tour of his studio. Silently we moved over his white walls and plain birch cabinets — if I remember correctly.

His digs offered no inspiration at all, doing nothing to portray him as a visionary painter or even good taste. Note: recycled, flea market furniture style is just fine but the design inspiration, style cupboard was barren.

His entire “come into my artistic world” video wasn’t fit for the most humble voyeur like me, a person lacking the professional talents and marketing insights of Monsiur le critic, whose resume is real hard to come by.

I don’t go looking for trouble, but when smarty pants people like Monsieur rip other talented people apart, I expect pure perfection from him. When it was so lacking, I said “seriously, Anne, let it go.” Truly I forgot about his insipid little apartment tour until Wednesday night, when New York City painter Liz Marotti posted in Facebook’s International Women Artists’ Salon, of which I am a member.

“Wow,” I said after watching Liz’s video. Now this woman takes us — for better or for worse; the good, the bad and the ugly — into her world. I have a real sense of Liz Marotti and her infectious spirit.

Monsier le critic writes that he has no idea of what he is trying to express and Liz Marotti can’t stop talking, trying to help us understand her vision. Is this a classic difference between he and she?

I have no idea. All I know is that Liz Marotti has moxie and is truly earnest about her art. She knows how to hustle with authenticity, and that’s the biggest tribute I can pay a woman, because we always want to fit in and not rock the boat. Liz Marotti says “fear not, ladies.”

Helen Reddy would like Liz Marotti’s ‘I am woman; hear me roar” approach to expressing her love of painting; and so do I. You can view more of Liz Marotti’s paintings here from PURRR Marketing Group. Anne

Liz Marotti Facebook

It’s been driving me crazy that Liz reminds me of someone, and I just remembered a very special person: Natalia Paruz: Peace Loving ‘Saw Lady’.