L. Marie Nichols

I've always loved the birds, flowers, butterflies, and little critters around me as I grew up in the Snowbird range of the Great Smoky Mountains. As a child in the early 1940s, my parents took our family on primitive camping trips in the mountains around our home outside of Robbinsville, NC. I was always awed by the wildflowers' beauty, especially the birds! I wanted to take it all home with me.

Since that wasn't possible, I brought home as many memories as I could and started trying to put them down on paper at the young age of 5 or 6. Starting with crayons and colored pencils, I constantly begged for watercolors. Mother was afraid I would be too messy with them. I was finally allowed to have some at about 8 or 9 years of age! I painted some red roses about that time, which my grandfather framed and hung on his wall. My daughter Ann Hooper still has that picture!

We had a good art teacher at Robbinsville, where I went to school. Mrs. Howell was very encouraging. As I grew older, the duties of wife and mother moved my artwork to the back burner. I always dabbled a little, enough to keep myself interested. Still, I only took it seriously once my four children were grown.

I painted with oils first but was only partially satisfied with the results. Even then, I sold several pieces and won a few awards. My husband bought me a set of watercolors and encouraged me to try them. After months of hesitation and persistent urging on my spouse's part, I finally tried them out in 1979. I still have that first painting I did in watercolor as an adult. After that, I never did another oil painting!

I have prints and note cards of my original work, and I established my gallery. Others have privately commissioned me for numerous pieces of artwork. I have been a featured artist at art shows and galleries all over the south. My work is well received and has been purchased and shipped to several countries around the globe.

I am semi-retired and reside in South Carolina; my gallery is at home. I still make time to paint the things I love. I work in several mediums, including acrylic, watercolor, and colored pencil. Birds are my specialty, but there is a picture everywhere if you take the time to look!