Marie Dancy-Brennan is a Californian living and painting in Ramona, in San Diego County. Marie has a degree from San Diego State University in graphic arts and has taught, painted and sold artwork for almost 40 years. Marie has loved being an artist for the most of her life and she believes that “Art opens the mind to endless possibilities. It’s an expression of our untapped, unexpressed and even our unexpected emotions”.

Her wonderful and colorful artwork was shown at the All Artists Regional Show for the San Diego Art Institute. Also, Marie’s artworks recently were shown in the Southwestern Annual Art Show in the Spanish Village Gallery in Balboa Park in San Diego, and also at the San Diego County Office of Education Art Teachers Show, both were juried shows.

In 2010, Marie became a regular participant in the Light Space & Time’s art competitions. Marie was awarded 1st Place for the October “Liquid” Art Exhibition with her painting “Wave” and a 3rd Place Award for the November “Colors” Art Exhibition with her work entitled “Collision”. In addition, Marie earned a Special Recognition Award for December’s “Figurative” Art Exhibition with her work entitled “Uncle Albert” which was painted in watercolor.

In 2011, Marie continued to enter Light Space & Time’s Art Competitions and in January for the “Landscapes” Art Exhibition, Marie earned a Special Recognition Award for her painting of “Emerald Isle”. In February 2011 for the gallery’s “Seascapes” Art Exhibition her work “Tumultuous Seas” earned a Special Recognition Award. Both artworks were painted in watercolors.

Marie has also shown her work in the Caladan Gallery an online exhibition called “Family”, having 3 pieces accepted for their December-January exhibition, and Marie also had 3 additional pieces accepted for their March- April 2011 exhibition, “Duplicity/Triplicity/Infinity”

The Still Point Art Gallery, an online art gallery, has also shown her work in their December 2010/January 2011 – online exhibition “Rhythmic Sensation – Visual Sensation” and their February 2011 exhibition - “Still Life – Ordinary and Extraordinary”, showing 3 works in each exhibition as well.

Marie works in watercolor almost exclusively, but she does not rule out other media when the inspiration strikes her. Much of Marie’s work has an impasto quality and is not typical of watercolor. This has evolved over time and comes from years of training as an oil painter. Marie loves the color range, richness and depth of color available with layering, using many layers of paint to get the desired effect.

Marie is also inspired by nature, its colors, shapes, and varieties of subject, but especially by the light and shadow effects. She also loves high contrast which she captures beautifully in her pencil drawings. Marie has expanded into using digital media to create new pieces from old paintings or from her photos of nature and particularly of her flowers.

Marie feels the opportunity to show art work online offers exposure to a vast new audience and is a wonderful new outlet, where she have found new success. Exploring her inner world using line, shape, color and shadow is a continuing adventure. Marie’s artworks can be viewed on her website at http://www.zhibit.org/mdbrennan