A painting is not about the painter, but the subject. As the artist behind the work of art, I hope the viewer is first drawn to the emotion and character depicted in the painting. After focusing on this, details — the result of time-honored oil painting techniques — are discovered. Through the careful combination of color, value and composition, a mood of reflective observation is set.

Marie Merritt draws inspiration from the rich history and heritage of her native east Tennessee and southern Appalachia and translates the beauty of the people and places into stories told onto canvas. Civil War characters come to life in her realistic portraits and the beauty of vanishing rural farmlands and vistas is preserved in her pastoral landscapes. Keeping with a theme of tradition, she uses a careful combination of transparent and opaque oil paints, applied in time-honored techniques reminiscent of the old masters, to set a mood of reflective observation. Marie attributes her talent as a gift from God.

She belongs to Oil Painters of America, Society of Decorative Painters, Tennessee Art Association and Artists United. She received the prestigious Certified Decorative Artists (CDA) in 2003 from the International Society of Decorative Painters and earned the Teacher of Decorative Arts (TDA) in 2002. Marie is a Charter Certified Instructor for Genesis Artists Colors® and a graduate of the University of Tennessee. She is a sought after teacher at international conventions and national seminars.

Her work has been featured on the cover of "The Legend and Legacy of Lee" by David Chaltas and in the Decorative Painter and AMAC. Her numerous awards include: Virginia Highlands Festival HM, MAA Award of Merit, Grainger Tomato Festival Best of Show, and RTDP Best of Show. Juried exhibitions include: Artsclamation!, Knoxville News Sentinel Gallery, Dogwood Arts Festival, Art and Culture Alliance, and Art Market Gallery. Her original oil paintings and commission portraits hang in corporate and private collections throughout the United States. Her work is available at Art Market Gallery and by appointment.

Giclée prints of Marie's work are available from her website, www.mariemerritt.com.