As the dogs watched

5.75 by 5.75 watercolor on gessoed illustration board

This is part of my dog series.

25.00 special of the week

Big Sky Farm

This is a watercolor on gessoed illustration board. 14 by 12 inches $50.00 $5.50 for shipping

Its very cold here and I spent most of the day inside.

I have been doing some planning for a commissioned piece... and I tried to get some ideas for the composition. I usually just do some pencil sketches for the placement of the focal point and for the structure of the painting. I usually try to think of what I'll do for the underpainting just so I can get started because as I paint my intuition will kick in the rest will come.

I like to think about them as a cruciform or a triangle or steel yard composition to get started.. so I start with a logical idea but as I go along, I allow the piece to tell me what to paint.

Winter Snow flakes

This is a very light snow scene. 9 by 11 on watercolor paper $50.0

I used salt ( sea salt) for the flakes.

You'll find in the last year in a half that I 've been painting and posting daily and I 've seldom used salt. It isn't that I have anything against salt, but I just seldom use it. I usually just use water if I want the look of salt. Today I was asked about salt and how it works with watercolor so I thought I would explain it.

The salt technique is all about timing.


I lay down a light wash of blue gray color for the sky... then... I put in the green/brown trees wet into wet right into the blue sky so that it will give the appearance that the trees are off in the distance and that they are a little blurry. Before the paper as lost its shine I sprinkle in the salt. You have to just put a pinch of salt other wise you will end up with a blizzard. At first it looks like it isn't working, be patient after the background dries you will see where the salt soaked up the color leaving the white of the paper and because it is a natural substance it has a natural sharp. It will look like falling snow.

Paint the foreground after the background has dried and add a little warm color somewhere to help the painting be more inviting and not so cold. Dust off the salt and Your done!

"Fresh Snow " 8 by 11 watercolor on paper

75.00 8.0 by 11 inches watercolor on paper.
This painting is basically the one from two days ago revisited. This is one of the good things about painting everyday. sometimes with an artist you will want to paint a painting again but of course change a few things and this is the case with this painting and the original.."snow hare". I obviously didn't put in the hare and I felt the snow hare painting is beautiful but I wanted to paint one featuring birch trees. So this is my answer to that good ole muse who keeps telling me what to paint.

Snow Hare

This is a traditional watercolor on paper. I love to paint snow because you actually don't paint the snow but everything around it. I'll paint some winter scenes for a few days because the temperature dropped here and finally winter has arrived. The rocks are painted with a palette knife.

My snow is painted with cobalt blue and burnt sienna. Sepia for the dark rocks and ultramarine blue for the darker blue in the tree line. Thats it... mainly four colors. These colors make a beautiful snow painting.

A long Winter

Size:6 by 5.5 inches Price is $40.00 plus s&h

This is a watercolor-painting on 300 lb 100%, handmade rag paper. I painted using a few colors I don’t usually use in a winter snow scene. The cerulean blue is one I usually save for summer paintings or ocean paintings. But I like to try different combinations. I also mixed the blue with a bit of red to make the lavenderish roof and background.

I had a friend request this painting. Actually she requested something she won’t like…. so here it is, a landscape without people or animals.

Doves Corner

This is a small painting of an area frequented by doves and many other birds but we started calling it Dove's corner just because a pair of doves are always in the area.


The weeds are painted using a pallet knife, & the snow is just the white of the paper. I like painting snow and I think students love to paint it too. Maybe its because its easy to get the contrasts needed for a good depth in the values.

Snow trees - a painting a day

I painted this on clay board, the size is 3 by 5 and is for sale for 25.00 It would frame really well in an 8 by 10 frame or even an 11 by 14 frame if matted. Or it could be framed without a mat and keep its small size.

I love the way trees look after a freeze. Did you see the photo on the front page of the New York Times today? Wow what a great photo. The mist rising in the background and the snow on the ground a light blue gray with a sky that had a yellow glow. Two silhouette figures and one tall black tree for interest and you have a beautiful scene and I wish I had been there. Shantmarie@aol.com

Winter's path - A painting a day

I love contrast and that's why I always like painting snow. The bright white against the dark rocks. Also the shadows with their many colors reflecting from off of the snow. This isn't a small painting but a 11 by 15 (inches) and is for sale for $100.00 USD, no mat or frame but it will fit into a 16 by 20 standard size frame you can pick up anywhere.

I think these colors fit into modern as well as traditional decor. Write me today if you are interested. I have a feeling this one will go fast. Shantmarie@aol.com