Dahlia #2 (from my garden!)

Posted on by

Export to PDF | Export to DOC

DAHLIA #2 (FROM MY GARDEN!) • 12 inches x 12 inches • ©2011 Marie Scott

I LOVE DAHLIAS!
I planted some dahlia bulbs last winter in a plastic container and started them in my house. (I think that was actually a waste of time, but I’m not really sure.) They did survive, and grew to be quite tall over the course of the summer, but they didn’t bloom until the fall.

Maybe it was just too hot for them this summer?? Maybe they didn’t get enough sun??

Despite their delayed gratifications, I LOVE DAHLIAS! (How could you not?)

I painted this flower as part of a series called “From my Garden!” I wanted it to match the other square formatted dahlia, so I took some liberties with the colors, as you can see in the photos below.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Click here to see this painting on my website. If you love dahlias too, click on the links below to see some others.

Dahlia #1 (from my garden!)

Fuchsia Dahlia

Bay Bridge Dahlia

Dahlia
(this photo does not do the painting justice. I have the giclee print hanging in my kitchen, and after 7 years I’m still not tired of it.

Savoring the last blooms in my garden

Posted on by

Export to PDF | Export to DOC

ZINNIA (FROM MY GARDEN) • 16 inches x 12 inches • ©2011 Marie Scott

As I write this post, all the summer flowers in my garden have all died and gone to flower-heaven.

Fortunately, I had the good sense to spend a few minutes photographing some of the last blossoms that were hanging around my yard throughout October. This Zinnia is the second painting in a series of four small botanical pieces that I’m calling “Flowers from my Garden!”

I’m not sure if I’m more pleased with how cute the painting turned out, or with just the fact that I grew this Zinnia from a teeny-tiny little seed. I guess I’m just as happy with both! 🙂

Here’s a quick little movie showing this painting in progress. The music in the background is from a new CD that a talented friend of mine recently released. It’s called As We Forgive our Debtors, by Eric Barnhart. It’s a collection of hymns he arranged and plays on the piano. BEAUTIFUL!

12 paintings for 2012 = 12 months of color

Posted on by

Export to PDF | Export to DOC

12 Months of Color!

2012 Print Calendars are ready to order!

This vibrant 12-month wall calendar measures 16-3/4″ x 10-7/8″ when open. Each month features one of my new paintings from 2011.

They are $18 each with free shipping. Orders are due on Tuesday, November 29th. Click here to order from my website.

12 Paintings for 2012

Here are the images for each month. The Zinnia is January, 2012; the Dahlia is February, 2012; etc… the Marsh scene is December, 2012.

11.11.11 (even better than I could have imagined!)

Posted on by

Export to PDF | Export to DOC

We saw this little sign on a bike in downtown Charleston. How perfectly fitting for my surprise 11/11/11 weekend!

If you know me at all, you may have noticed that I’ve been pretty excited, anticipating 11.11.11.

That’s because back in 2003, I realized that the calendar would be a perfectly symmetrical date on my 41st birthday. Since then, I have spent the last eight years reminding my husband Tim that I would like a huge celebration on this day.

By huge, I meant wedding-reception magnitude. Or it not THAT size of a party, I wished to spend the weekend with my closest friends, someplace warm and someplace beautiful.

Over the last two years, I honestly had lowered my expectations thinking that I was being silly to put so much stock in a funny-looking date.

But instead of being practical, Tim went above and beyond the call of reasonable, and completely surprised me by granting me my 11.11.11 birthday wish!

My long-time 11/11/11 wish ACTUALLY came true!

We spent a long weekend in Charleston renting the cutest house ever (THROW PILLOWS included) with some of my oldest and dearest friends, who are very good conspirators too, I might add.

My friends Erin and Brett had a perfectly legitimate reason to not be able to leave their home in Kansas City to join in an 11.11.11 party. Their little girl was turning ONE on the 11th of November, so they certainly couldn’t be gone from home.

So when we picked the Three of them up at the Charleston airport, I was beside myself with excitement. I think I may have actually caused quite a scene with my delight.

Then, as if THAT surprise (including the throw pillows on our bed) was not enough, Tim also orchestrated another huge surprise. On Friday he “went out to an appointment” — whatever that meant — and returned with my dear friend Kelli and her husband Scott, all the way from Indiana.

How he managed to keep this all a secret, is beyond me. This completely sensible and logical man who I love beyond words, completely created the most extravagant gift I could imagine. And all for some silly day…

11.11.11 the best day of the century!

Here are photos from the biggest surprise of my life. You’ll see both my wonderful friends, and the amazing beauty of our trip to Charleston and Folly Beach. There are many, many paintings waiting to be created from this set of photos…

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Some questions just aren’t that easy to answer…

Posted on by

Export to PDF | Export to DOC

OPEN STUDIOS 2011 at Art Crossing's 201 Studios. I'm currently working in this shared retail Art Space with six other talented artists.

Last Friday, Saturday, and Sunday we had a total of 602 visitors at 201 Studios. The reason for all the traffic?

Greenville’s Premier Art Event of the year — Open Studios— was taking place.

“Was it a success?” That is an interesting question. I guess the best answer to that question is “it depends on how you look at it.” 

This year, instead of crying the blues and feeling sorry for myself, I’m choosing to look on the bright side. I met a lot of nice people; I sold some smaller prints and one large print; I am creating the best work I’ve ever done; I have lots of beautiful paintings to look at; I’m surrounded by other creative geniuses; and since moving out of my house, I feel like people are starting to take me seriously as an artist.

Was it worth it? Another interesting (and loaded) question. I could have gone to Mexico (my favorite vacation destination) for the amount of money I ‘ve invested in this little “experiment” of moving my studio downtown, in order to be more in the center of things during Open Studios weekend. But again, I am choosing to be thankful for the things that money can’t buy… Like the happiness it brings me to see all my paintings in one place, as opposed to being spread across the city residing in other people’s homes…Like the fact that my husband, and now even our 8-year old son, don’t blink an eye when it’s time to do all the work THEY are involved with in making a weekend like Open Studios happen…Like the fact that I’ve been able to spend the last couple of years focussing on developing my skills as a painter, and the ability to see myself growing as an artist.

Would I do it again? Every year I get done and say “no way. absolutely not” But then May comes, and I sign up all over again. So realistically, the answer is probably “YES. How could I not? It’s Open Studios!!”

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The art of Thankfulness

Posted on by

Export to PDF | Export to DOC

More thank you notes than I can even fit on my table.

Earlier this month, I spent a morning showing the 4th graders at Heritage Elementary school some of my paintings. How can I resist going back again next year after receiving an envelope overflowing with these gorgeous hand-made thank you cards?

It really does make a difference to tell somebody thank you. Especially when you draw it yourself!

THIS ONE SAYS: Will you come back next year for 4th grade? If you do that would make my day. Please come back. THE ONE ABOVE IT SAYS: Thank you for painting. You are really good. AM I? Check YES or NO. Send back to... or e-mail...

(Here's my favorite sentiment. This person may end up working for Hallmark one day...) Thank You!!! You are awesome (I'm not kidding.)

The month I’ve been waiting for since 2003

Posted on by

Export to PDF | Export to DOC

DAHLIA (FROM MY GARDEN) • ©2011 Marie Scott (Here's your NOVEMBER 2011 desktop calendar! Click on the image to download this file to use as your computer's desktop this month.)

November 2011

That means it’s the eleventh month of the eleventh year.

I will relish writing these dates all month. I wish I were still a kid in school so I had more date-writing opportunities.

Only TEN MORE DAYS until the most perfect date of the CENTURY.

Click here to subscribe to my mailing list to receive your new desktop calendar each month!

“living in a van, down by the river!”

Posted on by

Export to PDF | Export to DOC

MAIN STREET BRIDGE • 24 inches x 30 inches • ©2011 Marie Scott

OK, so maybe this isn’t the setting Chris Farley had in mind when he talked about living in a van down by the river.

In contrast, I would actually LOVE living down by THIS RIVER (preferably in a luxury condo — not a van.)

The location of this oil painting is at the Reedy River at Fall’s Park in downtown Greenville, SC. My studio is just about a block past the small blue walking bridge in the center of the painting.

I began this piece during the Flat Out Under Pressure competition last January, and then spent several more days working on it this past month.

During the contest, we only had 24 hours to create a painting from start to finish. Needless to say, after 24 hours it still needed a little bit of work, as there’s only so much you can do with a canvas completely saturated in wet oil paint.

Having my studio “down by the river” this fall has been inspiring on several different levels. I hear ducks quacking while I’m painting, and the daily explosion of the flock of pigeons who can appear and then disappear in just an instant. I eat my gluten-free-brown-bag-lunch, sitting between two waterfalls, watching people across the river eating outside at Larkin’s, wondering to myself “who eats at such an upscale restaurant in the middle of the day???”

Unlike Chris Foley, all-in-all MY experience “down by the river” has been a good one. Stretching, but good.

To see photos of this painting in progress and to read about the Flat Out Under Pressure competition, click here.

“These are a few of my favorite things!”

Posted on by

Export to PDF | Export to DOC

DAHLIA (FROM MY YARD!) • 12 inches x 12 inches • ©2011 Marie Scott

This dahlia was blooming in my yard.

And one glorious autumn day I had the foresight to pick one and take some photos of it standing in front of the perfect sky.

Now it’s a painting!

That is most definitely one of my favorite things.

Just a few of my other favorite things:

  • The reward of seeing an ugly bulb that I put in the ground 9 months ago come to life.
  • The reward of seeing a dirty white canvas I bought 12 months ago’ come to life and become a dahlia that will never wilt.
  • The fact that listening to “The Sound of Music” soundtrack still takes me back to my 10th grade art class. How does Julie Andrew’s voice STILL always manage to put my in the right frame-of-mind for painting?

Below is a little movie showing this white canvas come to life. I hope you enjoy Julie Andrews singing “A Few of my Favorite Things” even just a fraction as much as I do!

Three different years. Three different colors on my front door.

Posted on by

Export to PDF | Export to DOC

My new door color! Inspired by a pretty blue vase on my friend Erin's mantle.

Our shutters also got a new color. A deep, rich brown that makes them look like Hershey Chocolate Bars.

How is it Possible that my front door is on its THIRD COLOR, yet we’ve lived in this house LESS than three years?

If I stop and think about it, here are the reasons this IS POSSIBLE:

1.) My husband Tim really loves me.
2.) I am in charge of planning AND executing all painting projects in our home.
3.) Sherwin Williams had all their paint 40% off a few weeks ago.
4.) WHY NOT? (It’s only paint, and you only live once.)

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I had a request for the name of paint color. Here's a photo of the can. I think it's called "Drizzle"by Sherwin Williams.