SKYTOP APPLE ORCHARD • 30 inches x 40 inches • © 2012 Marie Scott

Enjoy your extra day this month!

February 29th, 2012 is Leap Day.

To read the story about this painting on my website, click here.

To use this calendar on your computer, click on the above image and save it to your desktop. Then select this image as your “desktop.”

To sign up for my mailing list, click here.

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Lucille Elizabeth Carolina Spring (born January 28, 2011)

Today is our dog Lucy’s birthday!

Lucy drives her first bobcat.

So today’s blog post is dedicated to her first year of life.

Lucy is the second Collie we’ve had, and she came from a breeder near Nashville called “Totally Devoted Collies.” There aren’t too many collies to be found in South Carolina, so we decided it would be worth the trip to Tennessee to pick up our Collie puppy.

Our first Collie was named Chloe, and she came from a farm in Wisconsin. We had her with us for over 13 years and she was the best dog we could imagine. We waited over three years after she was gone to dog heaven, before deciding to replace her.

Getting another Collie was probably the best decision of the last 12 months. She has brought so much joy and laughter into our home.

We love you LUCY!!! Thanks for adding so much fun to our life.

(Sorry you can’t read this…maybe by the time you’re two you’ll have that trick down too.)

Below is a slide show from the past 12 months of her life.

Click to view slideshow.

SKYTOP APPLE ORCHARD • 30 inches x 40 inches • ©2012 Marie Scott

Happy Birthday!

I was commissioned to create this painting as a surprise birthday gift.

It’s inspired by photos I took while picking apples on the most beautiful autumn afternoon.

If you haven’t been to Sky Top Orchard in Flat Rock, NC it is worth the trip for the panoramic mountain views.

 To read the story behind this painting, and to hear what the birthday girl thought of her gift, click here to visit my website.

Here’s a quick movie showing this painting in progress.

The music is called “Rejoice” • © Chris Tomlin

Proposed floor plan for Travelers Rest art building

If you are a Greenville SC Artist, interested in renting studio or gallery space in downtown Travelers Rest, please take the time to complete my survey called

“Is there a need for more studio/gallery space in Greenville County? (click here to take survey)

Those of you who know me well, will not be surprised that I’ve dreamed up yet another big idea. Some of my wild ideas “stick” and others don’t.

But that’s all just part of The FUN of LIFE for me… dreaming big.

My latest dream, involves taking a rather sad-looking building in downtown Travelers Rest, and creating something beautiful with it.

I’d love to see it brought back to life, and packed full of working artists. I’d love to see artists teaching and holding receptions in the gallery space. I’d love to take a yoga class or a gardening seminar held in this same gallery… or even attend a party being held here.What I’d love most, is for people walking past it on Main Street and the Swamp Rabbit Trail, to see it and think “what a cute building, so full of life… I think I’ll stop and see what’s happening inside.”

But since somebody needs to pay for this BIG idea: before going any further, we need to see if there are eight artists who are looking for this kind of studio set-up in Travelers Rest, SC.

If you are an artist who is interested in renting studio space in Travelers Rest, SC, please click here and take my survey.

If nothing else happens with this idea, it’s been fun dreaming…

ON THE ROAD TO ARLES #1 • 12 x 12 • ©2011 Marie Scott

ON THE ROAD TO ARLES #2 • 12 x 12 • ©2011 Marie Scott

The beautiful blue eyes of Ma Belle Mere inspired this pair of French Paintings.

Southern France is one of my mother’s loves. So for Christmas, I painted her a set of paintings to remind her of the beauty of her beloved French countryside.

Having never been to France myself, I simply tried to capture what my mom’s sapphire-blue eyes must find so intriguing about this magical place that she often describes.

I painted the sky to both match her eyes, and to capture the beauty I imagined her to have seen.

I come by my love of beauty honestly… it’s in my DNA, passed on to me from two beauty-seeking parents. 

Here’s a quick movie showing these two paintings in progress.

Music compliments of vocalist Susan Graham.

Sign up to make this cute wreath with me! E-mail info@mariescottstudios.com

1.) Make a new wreath for your front door

You would not believe how often I hear the phrase “I wish I were an artist.”

This always makes me sad, because in my mind, anyone who spends time using their creativity IS an artist.

So in the spirit of trying to “make more artists” this year, I’m starting a series of classes to help inspire people to use some of their creativity each month.

I’m calling it “Your Creative Fix.”

The first class is on January 26 (or) January 27. If you’re interested, just send me an e-mail to info@mariescottstudios.com and I’ll sign you up.

If you don’t live in Greenville but want to make this cute wreath on your own, here’s a link to the directions. (I can’t take credit for coming up with this idea, it’s from a blog that two of my dear, creative friends shared with me–completely independently of each other I might add! )

Here’s to spending some time each month being creative… Happy Creative You!

Here's the wreath on my front door. In case you're wondering what happened to my snowmen pumpkins from the Dec. 14 post... I'm sad to say they're in the compost heap. They lived a short, but oh-so-meaningful life.

Here are the different fabrics you can choose from if you sign up for my class. I made mine white for winter, but don't let that limit your creativity!

REFRIGERATOR ART • © 2012 • Nathan Scott

I wish I COULD
say I had something to do with this.

Instead, this beautiful design on my refrigerator is the artistic handiwork of our 8-year-old son.

I wish I were the kind of mom that said “Hey… let’s get out those new magnets and make something cool together.”

I didn’t do or say anything like that. And then one day this amazing piece of 3-D art appeared on my refrigerator!

I have a very cool son. Without any prompting, he opened up this new gift, followed the directions which were included with the set of “Magnetic Color Cubes” , and then single-handedly made this design which I LOVE, all by himself.

I’ve been looking at it for over a week, and it still makes me smile every time I see it.

Art Crossing MARKETPLACE is open for Greenville's First Friday tonight!

It’s the FIRST FRIDAY of the New Year!

Here’s just a few of the NEW things you’ll find at our studio tonight if you make it to FIRST FRIDAY from 6-9 pm.

We have a new name…

Formerly “201 Studios” we are now “Art Crossing MARKETPLACE”

We have a new artist…

I have some new paintings…

And some old paintings. But both kinds are NEW to the studio since last month’s First Friday.

Bring your kids…

Some of ours will be there too. We’ve got crayons and coloring sheets to keep them happily entertained while you browse.

I have a new idea for a class…

If you stop in during First Friday tonight from 6-9   pm, I’ll tell you all about it.
(And you can tell me if you think it’s a good idea or not.)

O'SHAUGHNESSY CASTLE • 20 inches x 16 inches • © 2011 Marie Scott

One of my favorite things as an artist is to participate in a conspiracy.
(A conspiracy to delight somebody with a painting they were NOT expecting.)

Lucky me! The last half  of 2011 gave me opportunity to work on four paintings that were each commissioned as surprise gifts.
“O’Shaughnessy Castle” was the first one delivered.

You can watch below to see a quick video of this piece in progress. Or click here to read the story on my website.

January 2012 Desktop Calendar • SUNFLOWER FIELD • ©2011 Marie Scott

Happy New Year!

To read the story about this painting on my website, click here.

To sign up for my mailing list, click here.