koi in blue 8 by 10 oil on wood

this 8 by 10 is listed for 75 dollars and can be purchased thru pay pal or check
shantmarie@aol.com

New Koi Painting in Oil

I've been painting Koi in watercolor for a long time and this year I decided to paint some Koi paintings in Oil. This painting is pretty big and took a long time to paint. Mostly because my studio is rather small and its actually set up for watercolor. This painting was so big and each time I chose to work on it I had to pull out all the oil painting supplies and put everything away after each session.
For me this is a pain...
My watercolor supplies are set out ready to go.

I will always love my Watercolor paintings, but after painting 7 or 8 paintings of Koi in oil I'm getting a better feel for the medium. I have plans to paint more Koi but I'm also very busy doing a lot of research on my next series which will be Geisha. I'll paint them in both oil and watercolor and maybe even in mixed media. I hope you'll be around to see some of those paintings.

I haven't figured out the name for this piece yet, so if you have any ideas let me know...

Some names that have been suggested to me by others are ( try not to laugh some are funny)


Carp Ahoy
Colony Koi
Carp deluxe
Fantastic fantasy
Koi menagerie ( I've used this already for another painting)
Wrecking Crew
Creme of Koi
Colored Carp
Fabulous Koi
China Koi
under the H2o







This is the painting as it sits in my studio... The size is 44 by 44 inches

Frida, A butterfly Koi

This is a picture of Frida, can you see why I named her after Frida Kahlo?

She has one eyebrow just like the Artist! Also, she is rather beautiful!

Koi reunion

8" by 10" 75.00 shantmarie@aol.com for purchase information
watercolor on gessoed canvas.

The white fish is called a Tancho ... now can you guess what the blue grey fish is called?

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.

Flowing Waters

This is a small Koi Painting that I did today and I tried to make it look like the water was flowing all around and over the fish.  At first I detailed the koi and water a bit to much so I pulled back the color and softened the lines and now I like it much better.

$40.0 5.9 by 5.9 inches

Sunshine and peace

16 by 20 Acrylic on canvas 300.00

Watching Koi you find yourself calming down your heart rate slows and you become mezmerized by their movement,& the reflections of the water.

Some of the Koi seem to have personalities which I wouldn't have believe till I saw this for myself. They are very eagar to come when called in hopes of getting dinner. They also have a pack type metality with some fish being bossy and others being shy or frightened.

Koi Impasto

8 inches by 8 inches

I'm experimenting here folks. impasto is like painting with whip creme.
Also, I'm making a little water feature in my back yard.

I got my water lily planted today and it looks like its growing. It has two little leafs coming out of the root. It's sitting under about 6 inches of water in a pot. I'll take a picture of it just to show you.

Koi Love

150.00 11 by 14 by 1 watercolor on wood.

Shantimarie@aol.com for purchase information 7.50 shipping

Evening pond

This painting is on gessoed masonite and is 6 inches by 6 inches. The koi are painted in watercolor.

The temperature today was very warm, about 80 degrees and I took the opportunity to clean my back porch and potted some flowers, oh yeah and some seeds.

I threw away two BIG garbage bags of trash, junk that was sitting outside all winter and stuff that just didn't hold up to the weather. It all needed to be thrown away. Lots of dog toys, leaves and and old broken crockery. It looks better and now I just have to dig up the dirt and re pot the rest of the pots so this summer we have a whole summer of flowering plants. I planted two really large elephant ears, I love their tropical look and usually plant one or two each year. I also planted morning glories and hollyhocks which are both some of my favorite flowers.

I really wanted to get back to my larger paintings, I'm painting several commissions right now and I would like to get them finished because I'd like to paint something for myself. When I'm really working hard outside I do enjoy it but I am thinking of my painting the whole time and what it needs and when I get back to it, what I'll change. I think most artist do this. Often I'll dream about a painting and this drives me to get it finished. It 's like reading a good book and you can't wait to get back to it to see how it ends!

Three Amigos

16 by 20 three koi painted in acrylic on canvas $350.00 plus 7.50 shipping and handling.

www.dailypainters.com for pay pal button.

Emerald Pond - sold

This is a 16 by 20 Acrylic on Clayboard, $350.00.  Sold

This painting has a abit of glare on the right side of the painting because of the flash, unfortunately I didn't have time to take another picture. Emerald  pond is such a great name, don't you think? 

Koi swims solo

This is on gessoed Masonite, (watercolor) Its for sale for 40.00

go to www.dailypainters.com for paypal button

Turned in my painting today for the "spring into Art art show at the Charlotte Art League, lets hope it get into the show. Since these things are subjective, its hard to know what will get in and what won't. Sometimes I select the wrong piece to enter for the wrong judge. Once when I was helping out with a show I overheard the judge say to his assistant, well, now I have to pick an obligatory nude. True to his word, he only chose one nude to go into the show and it was't one of the two that I entered. You never know.... I also put in a still life which I didn't think was as good as either of the two nudes and it got in...

Red Koi, Green Water

This is 6" by 6" watercolor on smooth clayboard $40.00

http://www.dailypainters.com/ for purchase with pay pal.

Morning Gossip

I especially like the lower fish cause he has his very own look.

This painting is still available. 8 by 10 75.00

www.dailypainters.com to pay with pay pal.

NH Koi

watercolor on gessoed masonite 8 by 8

This Koi is related to the Koi I painted yesterday. They live in New Hampshire and I'm sure their dreaming of spring.

I'm doing a demonstration tomorrow at Cheap Joe's and I'll be painting on Illustration board, paper, gessoed Masonite and clayboard. I'm excited to teach people how I do this and will encourage more people to give watercolor a chance.

"Gandalf" the big white

This is 8 by 10 watercolor on Gessoed masonite.

I recieved some wonderful Koi photos and thought I would make a few Koi Portraits. Here is the first.

His name is Gandalf. He actually is a pretty big fish but from this view of him head on, it makes him apear a bit smaller than he really is. Holly from NH is his mom. Thanks Holly for sharing your pet?

Curious Koi

This little gem is so wonderful in its use of color that I would be shocked if no one wanted it. I may even keep it for myself!

People ask me all the time how I come up with my ideas for paintings. Most are just a subject I want to explore.... Usually when I start all I have is the thing, like a flower, or a barn, then I choose colors intuitively and the rest is pure magic.

Of course, I can actually paint the way I was trained, that is... take photo fist or set up plien aire... 1. value sketch, followed by 2. selection of a color palette which must be chosen to convey a mood, feeling or season. Then you paint it from your value study. This usually makes for a successful painting but I have trouble staying focused on something so disciplined and will usually stray away from the original idea once I start. Sometimes I'll add things or go to a color not on the original palette. It tough for me not to respond to the image as it appears.

Regarding this painting... About a Year ago I dreamed of painting a Koi coming out of the water to look at some fuchsias. Ever since that time I have thought of how to paint it. I have painted countless masterpieces in my own mind, painting this painting over and over, so today this little gem is only the start, I will paint it a few more times in various styles and ways. But will any of these paintings ever be as great as the one I dreamed about, probably not. But, I can keep trying. Please... keep coming back and check on my progress.

Koi Inka Dink

This painting is is on Gessoed paper and I like the texture. How I make this texture is by spritzing the watercolor with water and wiping it off with a Kleenex. Where the spots of water fall onto the dry paint.. the kleenex picks up the color.

Its very late and I have to get up at 6:30 to host the life drawing class. I hope the heat is on at the Art league cause its supposed to be 20 degrees (F) tomorrow.

Koi Connection

This is my painting... Its called Koi connection. What another Koi? Yes another Koi ....


One of these fish is slighly animated Oh yes, and to animate fish all you have to do is give them great big beautiful eyes and some lips.

The viewer fills in the rest.

This is 6 by 9 and Is is for sale, for 35.00 e mail me if your interested. shantmarie@aol.com

I painted this piece by pouring on the paint and pulling the fish back out of the background before it dries. Once the shine is off the paper then I put in the detail.