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Oil Painting

Art

antique-inspired color charts

I’ve been making and selling color charts on linen for a few years.  My first one was inspired by color charts found at an artist’s estate sale.  I was so smitten with them when I first spotted them online – the colorful squares in oil framed by age-stained fabric – that I decided to make some of my own.  I made small color studies on antique linen and hemp scraps, testing different ways to tape off the squares and apply the paint.  As I was working on a new batch for my original art sale earlier this year, I had an idea.  What if I could stamp a color chart template onto paper and/or fabric and then apply the colors?  Would that work?  Would it look good? I tested out stamps I already had to label the back of my paintings to see how well the ink would transfer to

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Art

Live Painting at Lucketts

This post has been sitting in my drafts for weeks!  I know some of you must have been losing sleep because I left you hanging about the Lucketts Spring Market.  I will not torture you any longer.  Here’s how the afternoon of painting went back in May… After my triumphant antique find and a morning of scurrying from shopping the Lucketts Spring Market to selling paintings, I settled into my space to do some live painting.  I decided to do a still life, since it’s a subject that would come together pretty quickly, and I would be okay starting and stopping.  Animal portraits require a bit more focus.  I printed out the reference photo ahead of time and made a loose sketch, so I wouldn’t totally choke on the spot! I set up my tripod and travel easel in the shade under a tree among the tables of the wine

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Art

Original Art Sale Preview | May 20, 2026

I typically post my previews a few days ahead of an original art sale, but May has been so busy that this sale snuck up on me! The next original art sale is tomorrow, Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at 1:00 pm Eastern (New York) or noon for presale subscribers.  If you subscribe HERE, you can shop the sale before it opens to everyone else.  (This isn’t a blog subscription.  You will only receive emails with presale information for this and future original art sales.) In this original art sale, I have pieces ranging from some Index Card Art Project landscapes ($65) to a 12 x 16 black lab portrait ($650).  This collection includes still life paintings featuring clementines, blueberries, and cherries.  There are landscapes from Maryland, South Carolina, and England.  And I have a few animal portraits available, including Cotswold cows, sheep, and a couple of dogs. As usual, this

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Art

Lucketts Spring Market Preview (available original paintings)

As I shared a couple of weeks ago, I’m heading back to the Lucketts Spring Market as a semi-vendor.  Since my business has changed so much over the past eight years, I’m just testing the waters to see how my original art will sell at that venue.  I’ll be there just one day, Friday, May 15, from 1-4 pm, to do a bit of painting and be available to say hello.  I’m also bringing along some of my original oil paintings to sell.  As is my custom with Lucketts (and my online art sales), I’m posting a preview of the items I’m bringing along with measurements and prices.  I do this so potential buyers have an opportunity to consider the piece without the rush and pressure of the market.  They can consult their significant other, if necessary, their budget, and make sure they have the perfect spot for it.  Since

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Art

growth

Growth doesn’t usually happen in leaps and bounds.  It’s something that sneaks up on you; it’s masked by time and embedded in the act of showing up every day.  One day, you look up and realize you’ve traveled a great distance, closing the gap between where you want to be and where you were.  It was done in increments so small they were barely noticed.  You hope for it, catch glimpses of it, and feel like you’re making some progress, but you don’t really know how far you’ve come until you take the time to measure. I had the chance to do that last week, and even though I know I’ve grown a lot as an artist, I was still pretty excited at the tangible evidence.  This was the second commissioned dog portrait I painted.  I had painted Sebastian and the cats and was toying with the idea of offering

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Art

Pup Club Prints | fine art prints for dog & art lovers

Thank you to everyone who is trying to subscribe!  We had some technical issues, but it’s working now! Also, I decided to offer a big thank you to those who sign up for the first month’s print.  Founding Pup Club members will be entered to win an original 8 x 10 commissioned oil painting (animal, still life, or landscape), a $300 value. I am so excited to finally launch Pup Club Prints, a monthly art subscription I’ve been working on in the background for a few months.  I’ve ordered dozens of prints to find my favorite paper and printing option so I can offer fine art giclee prints directly through my new online shop and on a subscription basis for those who are interested.  I’ve been testing stamps and stickers to label the official prints.  I’ve ordered envelope samples and seal stickers so I can have all my ducks in

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Artistic Endeavors

Spring Break Paintings

Painting really is like any other skill or strength-based activity.  If you step away from it, even for a few days, there is a bit of dust to knock off when you get back to it.  For this reason, I wanted to try to fit in some painting while I was at the beach.  Not only is it good practice in general, but it’s good practice to get better at painting when away from my studio.  I feel pretty confident in saying that I’m much more comfortable as a studio painter, but I do want to improve when it comes to painting in a new environment with different light, and pared-down tools and materials.  It’s also a nice way to fill the time when the sun is too intense for me to be on the beach. I painted on the covered porch at our rental house when the weather was

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Artistic Endeavors

King Louis & Sky Miles | IOP Dog Reunions

Each morning, as we walk and collect shells on the beach, there is also a dog party happening.  At Isle of Palms, dogs are allowed off their leashes to run free for a few hours each morning, and both owners and dogs take advantage.  Dogs are running in the surf, chasing balls, playing with each other, greeting all the other beach-goers (who are there for them, naturally), and jogging alongside their owners.  It finally occurred to me in 2024 that it was the perfect opportunity to gather reference photos of dogs!  I did it secretly for a couple of days, pretending to photograph the beach, clouds, and surf, while also capturing a dog trotting in the water after a tennis ball.  Finally, I got a little braver and asked the owners if I could photograph their dogs.  Everyone I asked was happy to oblige, and most even helped me get

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I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

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May 20th, 2026 at 1pm EST

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