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Oil Painting

Art

15 creative exercises to fill your sketchbook

Last night, I said it out loud.  “I am finally starting to really see myself as an artist.”  I have put the title on my profiles and have reluctantly used it in introductions, but I didn’t really feel it down to my bones.  I don’t know what shifted or what gave me permission to internally embrace it, but it happened recently.  I’ll have to think about it a bit more…about what changed and why.  But the result is that I feel freer and more willing to make a mess and create something I don’t like.  I feel more accepting of what comes out of my hands.  And I feel more excited to draw and paint.  I am hoping to share some of that enthusiasm with you by starting at the simplest, most honest, and forgiving place an artist can start – a sketchbook.  I’m going to share 15 sketchbooks exercises

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Art

impressionist still life series

After over a decade of creating as a profession, I’ve learned that I have creative seasons and that suits my generalist approach to business and creativity.  I like to dabble, explore, learn, and “have my fingers in a lot of different pies” as my friend Shaunna puts it.  And those seasons are shared here on the blog – a virtual space that has always been more about my story and less about one specific topic.  Sometimes I’m hip-deep in working on my house, other times I’m stripping down and upholstering a parade of French chairs, or getting crafty for the holidays.  Recently, I have been spending more time in my studio at the easel painting, which feels good after largely avoiding my brushes since late last summer.  And I have gotten back to the basics, working on a series of still life paintings in an impressionist style.  I have been

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Art

oil paintings & studies from my break

During my winter break, I really wanted to get back into the habit of oil painting most days if not every day.  In the late summer, early fall, I didn’t have very much time to paint and I found it difficult to make it a priority.  Even when I had the time, I would sit in my studio, aimless.  I wasn’t sure what I wanted to paint and the negative self-talk about my abilities and the potential end result of the painting were strong.  I wish I could always say that I’m confident and inspired, but there are seasons when I’m not.  There are seasons when certain creative endeavors feel like a slog.  I think that’s one reason why I’ve delved into so many things.  When I feel a little wobbly or unsure in one area, I slide over to another until the confidence and inspiration return. You can tell

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Art

feels like home | preorder bonus one | original art download

Now that the release of has been postponed (manufacturing & shipping delays are affecting so many industries including publishing), we are just over 10 weeks away from the launch date!  To make that time go a little faster (for me and for those who are anxiously awaiting its arrival), I have a fun countdown schedule planned!  It’s sort of be like opening advent windows as you countdown to Christmas.  This countdown will be filled with preorder bonuses, six amazing giveaway packages to thank my blog readers and social media followers for supporting this project, live online events, and a way for those who are super excited about the book to get involved in promoting it (and have even more opportunities to win amazing prizes.)  It’s all going to be so much fun. So, let’s kick this off with a preorder bonus.  This is a freebie for those who have (or

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Artistic Endeavors

Isle of Palms art sale preview

I was planning on having this art sale back in June and I was planning on adding a lot more paintings to it, but…  I had too many other things to work on.  For those who ask how I balance it all?  Well, sometimes things don’t get finished the way I want them to or when I want them to.  But, I didn’t want to put off this art sale any longer, so I finally added it to the calendar!  The art sale will go live this Thursday, July 29, 2021, at 10:00 am CST.  You can shop the sale HERE or by selecting “original art” under the “shop” tab on the navbar. There is a bit of a creative clearing that happens for me when I sell the paintings collecting in my studio.  There is both a release and a press of the reset button that signals to me

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Artistic Endeavors

isle of palms | part three | painting & sketching

Our trip to Isle of Palms in May was primarily about visiting with family and celebrating my parent’s 50th anniversary (51st now since it had to be postponed for a year), but it was also our first vacation in a long time, so I wanted to take intentional time to do things that were restful and restorative.  Being at the beach and gathering shells were a part of that, but so was painting and sketching.  Not only are those endeavors relaxing, but they help me really pay attention, be observant, be present, and appreciate the beauty around me.  So, I made a commitment that I would paint or sketch every day, even if it was just a quick pencil sketch while sitting at the beach.  And I stuck to that, even doing some quick landscape sketches in the car ride. I also wanted to work on watercolor sketches and drawing

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Artistic Endeavors

may 12 art sale preview

Despite putting a focus on custom paintings over the past 2-3 weeks, I also accumulated enough paintings to have an art sale before I work on the next round of commissions and the next series.  We’ll be going to the beach for my parent’s 50th (now 51st) anniversary, so I am planning on focusing my next sale specifically around inspiration I pick up from that trip.  Of course, there will be lots of beaches and skies, but I hope to get some pictures of sailboats, lighthouses, and beautiful buildings and street scenes from around Charleston.  I’m really excited about creating a collection around one specific theme.  Aside from the 100 meadows and 100 still lifes, I am sort of all over the place!  I paint whatever inspires me, which could be people, landscapes, still life, a master copy.  I don’t want to box myself in too much, but it’s also

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Artistic Endeavors

Creative play | making a cyanometer

Have you ever heard of a cyanometer?  I hadn’t either until I was doing a random search for vintage color wheels and came across one.  It’s a device that measures the blueness of the sky!  How perfect is that for someone like me who 1.) loves blue, 2.) loves studying color, and 3.) loves painting skies?  Pretty darn perfect. The picture above is the original cyanometer that was invented by Horace-Bénédict de Saussure and Alexander von Humboldt in 1789.  It’s a circle with 53 colored sections ranging from light to dark.  Isn’t it just beautiful?  I feel like it’s a work of art in and of itself. I looked around online to see if I could find any information about making a cyanometer.  What specific blue should be used?  Or what colors should be mixed?  I didn’t find any tutorials that were helpful. (One used paint chips from a hardware

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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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