Lake Wylie Memories

8 by 10 oil on wood panel $75.00
Here the painting is as a close up, as you can see it has a bit of reflective shine on the left side of the photo this will not be on the painting after tomorrow, its just that I had to use a flash since I finished it late and it was dark.

I was... as always busy today but had an unexpected surprise, my husband Art, brought home a beautiful aquarium and 20 tiny, tiny fish and a bunch of live plants. I set it all up and spent a couple of hours "playing" with it. I've owned many tanks over the years and really enjoyed watching the tropical fish swim about and discover their new home.

Lake Wylie Memories

As you can see this painting is still very wet. I painted it yesterday but since I use walnut oil in the oil paint as a medium rather then other more carcinogenic choices, sometimes I have to wait an extra day for it to dry.

This is 8 by 10 "on wood panel.

Running River 2

Here is the better photo of "running river".   It being an Oil painting I had to be careful, it is still wet.  While take the photo, I tilted the painting downward while holding the camera straight.  This way the oil wouldn't reflect back into the lens and look like sparkles.   

It works but you then have to use a photo shop type program to square it back up.

Running River, Magic Falls

This oil painting is so fresh its isn't photographing well. Its reflecting back. I'll try to take another photo of it, the trees in the background are really nice. I want you to be able to see them.

Sleepy Koi

Watercolor on gessoed paper $45.00

This little guy looks tired to me so I decided he can be called “sleepy”. If you have fish you know some of them are always swimming fast and darting around then there are those that kinda hide under stuff and only come out when your not around.  This fish is just a little tired and  he is hanging out near the bottom of the pond.  

Monet series, Fantasy pond

8 by 8 acrylic on wood. I added a bit of lavender to the blue because I some how think of lavender when I think of things that are surreal or fantasy..

If your interested its $50.00 and I take pay pal, checks & credit cards. shantmarie@aol.com.

I'm pretty busy these days with other projects and I have to either stay up very late or wake up very early in order to get my daily painting completed.

koi pond

This is painted on gessoed masonite & it's been sprayed with a fixative so it can be framed without glass. I have spent a lot of time lately looking at ponds and I guess it was just a matter of time before I painted a pond. With any good pond there has to be fish so I painted a few Koi to splash around.
I’ve had lots of fun painting the Monet series lately but I have to admit it…. one of the paintings didn’t quite turn out as well as I would have wanted. Every one has a bad day at times and I’m not blaming my brother BUT… I have told him numerous times “Don’t come over while I’m painting” but some folks including my relatives think painting for me is like eating… They think it looks so easy and I paint so fast that I could do it in my sleep. The think you can still paint well while having a conversation about something as insignificant or nutty as, say.. the problems of ebay or the election or even the compost heap. You get the idea. For me this is not true.
As an intuitive painter I have to be in my own space. but not wanting to be rude… I start in with the painting trying to get back to where I was before the compost heap became so important that he walked across the street to tell me about it.
I’m standing at the easel looking down at my painting trying to figure out where I was going next thinking it is almost done and as he talked and talked and talked, I kept mixing and mixing and mixing. Now, anyone who paints knows this alone is a recipe for a major mud fest. Even I knew when I was mixing it this can’t be good, but I kept trying, I painted and mixed and painted and remixed, trying to make it work, while occasionally saying “ “right” “Yeah?” ” really “ ”Hm”. The only color I was really getting of course was gray and no real values… so after he left, I took the painting outside to dry and this little painting must have had 1/2 inch of paint on it. Three days later and I’m pretty sure it isn’t dry yet. I should have scraped it off but I didn’t have the heart.

"Blue"

oil painting 8 by 10" 75.00 shantmarie@aol.com for purchase info.

This is the Oil painting I did last night as part of the tribute to Monet series. It is a bit more blue than the other and I decided not to put in lillies or what ever and make it a bit more plain.

Monet's tribute, Cool waters

This 8 by 10" painting is acrylic on wood Its only $75.00!
framed in a small black frame and ready to hang.


I wish the photo would have been better there is some glare on the right side. I was in a hurry when I was photographing it cause I had to get out to the "art swap" at the Charlotte Art league.
If you belong to a art club you might want to consider doing a art swap.

They match you up with another artist of near equal ability and tastes. You meet discuss art and make an agreement as to what you will trade. Then everyone meets and hangs their piece with a written note explaining the art and something about your Art Partner. It was fun and of course we had wine and food. We also invited all new members so everyone could meet and get to know the long term members.

A day like no other lll

11 by 15 watercolor on paper

I have painted this painting three times and I'm not sure why. Its kinda like having the same dream over and over, perhaps you can't contol that but painting the same painting over and over is very much the same feeling. This is one oif those painting from my imagination. I love the color combinatins and you may find I used them on a regular basis in my landscapes, especially purple with green.

"Cherries"

Here it is, I think the gesso was a bit too rough but I decided to post it anyway, just to show you that not everything you paint is always your best work. 2.5 by 3.5 $15.00

Bachelors

Watercolor on paper, 11 by 15 $150.00
Bachelor’s Buttons, a Wood Pecker and an old stump.
This piece was inspired by the wood peckers that come to my house to eat suet. I assume this bird is a he, its a beautiful bird with a touch of red on his head. He is very comical, he walks up and down the tree trunk, I guess looking for bugs or whatever and when I come outside he just walks around to the other side of the tree.

Kitty Kitty in South Carolina

5″ by 7″ $50.00 watercolor on Gessoed paper.
This cat seems to be saying ” let me take a better look” or maybe its the lady bug who’s doing the talking.
I have a black and white cat and she’s not only very cute, but does a lot of funny things. She has a smudge right on the tip of one side of her nose and sometimes she can look rather comical just sitting there. She only weighs nine pounds but her name is Chubbs. It’s the really long hair that makes her look so big. I had planned to paint something else but like many days this is just what wanted to be painted. I was drawing and there it was… the first few lines looked like a cat and I went with it. In fact sometimes just a line or a curve of a line will look like something to me and whatever it was I was planning to draw is thrown out for the object which I see in that line and is appearing before me.

sun, sand and h20

Watercolor on professional grade watercolor paper. Matted in white $150.00 7″ by 20″Lots of talk these days of making a trek to the beach, looking for beach houses and places to go. Of course we have to take the dogs too. The dogs are all very well behaved and don’t ruin things or pee indoors, so it shouldn’t be a problem. Of course Art my husband won’t go, just me and the girls with the dogs. Hopefully we can find a house right on the beach and the beach is as deserted as this painting. The plan isn’t to go until October so I have plenty of time to find just the right place. Maybe Pauly’s island, or Edisto…. Any suggestions, I don’t really want to drive more than three hours or four at the most from Charlotte NC.

Showa Samshoku

5 by 7 on watercolor paper, mounted on foam core. $40.00
Whoa, what a busy day, cleaning up my garden and working on my flower beds, it was a great day to be outside. It was hot, but not too hot. I divided plants and moved them around and watered and fertilized, all the things gardeners do to keep their flowers producing.

Creme of Koi

This painting is 11 by 7.25, its for sale for $75.00. It can be framed without glass, since its been sealed with matt finish.  My brother named this painting, he thinks its a funny play on words and since I couldn't think of anything better, it stuck!

Baby Koi

This photo was taken by one of my readers in Texas.  I think she has them in a big jar and photographs them thru the glass. They looks great too!

I'll post another daily painting again tomorrow I've been busy working on a project.

Koi fairy

This painting is a work in progress because I want to touch up a few areas.  I'll let it sit for a day or two before I make the changes. 

Parrots

This little watercolor is 3.5 by 5 and is on paper. Its double matted to 8 by 10.

$35.00

Busy day today... hot and humid.  The kudsu is growing!

Oh boy, Koi!

Here they are, tiny little koi but very active and fun to watch!

Occasionally I'll update you on their progress so check back with me and watch them grow.

I don't usually feed them that much food but since I was trying to keep them at the surface to take a picture, I gave them a healthy amount.

Monet tribute in red

7 by 10 acrylic on panel, plus  5.5 s & h

Colorful water painting

 This photo has a bit of glare on top it is actually red where it looks light at the top. Tomorrow when its  light out, I photograph it again.  Its 11 pm now and I just finished this painting, so I had to photograph it under lights. Of course...  this made a glare or reflective area.  I'm too tire to fix it and need to get a few more things done before I go to bed.   I hope you like this piece because after painting it tonight I thought of some other colors I would like to see how they work together. I think I'll paint another one with a different pallet. anyway... tomorrow is another day and as they say...so many paints, so little time. 

I have my life drawing session tomorrow very early so I'll be up at the crack of dawn.   Oh and I forgot to mention I bought some baby Koi.  I've had them for a few weeks but didn't want to post anything about them in case they didn't make it. Real confident huh? I've had lots of fish 

(including salt water) in the past but never Koi.  I want to post some pics of my little koi, their adorable, I know Koi can't be adorable but these guys really are cute.  Their pretty small but very active and have lots of personality.  I haven't named them yet, we're still in the salad days of our relationship.  We 'll see how it goes.  I had to put some ice in their water today ( the ice was in plastic bags)  it was nearly 93 degrees F.  The water was over 85 degrees F.  Koi can live in very hot water but I've been known to baby my pets.  

Check back with me and see the little guys. 

Hesitant Swimmers ll

3.5 by 7 watercolor on masonite

A few days ago I painted this painting and had two people that wanted to purchase it.  So I painted another one. they are similar but not the same.  

I guess you can say I have a new project, " ladies" is what I'll call it so be looking for my gal pals at the beach and other fun places.  

Hearding Breed

This is an oil pastel, 11" by 15" $300.00 plus $6.50 Shipping and handling.

I decided to put the red in the background because I felt the dogs spirit was very passionate and the red looks great next to the dogs black and white fur.

Spring dreams

This painting is 11 by 15 watercolor on paper and is for sale for $100.0

It would look great in a nice frame in any room in the house.

Its an original and can be mailed to your home in the US for $5.50.  email me at shantmarie@aol.com  if interested in this purchase. 

I've been working in my flower beds all weekend and it takes a lot out of me. All this heat we've been having makes me sleep like a baby.  I've been transplanting plants and bushes and pulling weeds.  If I do it now it may last most of the season.  My little water feature in the back looks great and I'll have to post an updated photo of it progress. 

Hesitant swimmer SOLD

3.5 by 7 watercolor on gesssoed masosnite

My tega cay art league are all sharing the same photo and each of us is painting or drawing or whatever our rendition of the photo. I changed a few things.... I have the ladies going down to the water and in the photo they are laying in the sand. I also changed the woman on the end to a young girl.I also added the thinner woman in the middle. I placed their arms around each other to give it a feeling of camaraderie.