Artist Spotlight: Marianne Thatcher
This week’s Artist Spotlight shines on Marianne Thatcher, a Beaufort, South Carolina–based artist whose oil landscapes capture the moods of both the Lowcountry and New England coastlines. Through brushwork, color, and light, Marianne paints not just what she sees, but the feelings and memories landscapes stir up.
-----------------------------
Meet the Artist
Marianne lives in Beaufort, South Carolina, surrounded by salt marshes, tides, and ever-changing skies that continually inspire her. With a BFA in Studio Art and a long career in the home furnishings industry, art has always been central to her life.
“Painting allows me to combine my love of design, color, and storytelling,” she says. Today, she works full-time as an artist, focusing on oil landscapes that celebrate the subtle shifts of light and the stillness of coastal places.
-----------------------------
Artistic Style & Inspiration
Her style leans toward impressionistic realism, with brushwork and color at the forefront. “I’m especially drawn to light. How it transforms a scene, softens edges, or shifts the mood within a moment.”
Nature is her constant muse, but she also finds inspiration in the emotions and memories a place can hold. “I aim for my paintings to feel like a pause, a breath, or a reflection. A reminder of the beauty that surrounds us.”
-----------------------------
The Role of Place in Her Art
Place is at the heart of Marianne’s practice. Living in the Lowcountry, she’s surrounded by marshes, barrier islands, and skies that seem endless. “The muted greens of the grasses, the golden glow of late afternoons, and the delicate blues of tidal waters all shape my palette,” she explains.
When painting New England, Marianne gravitates toward cooler tones, crisper light, and a sense of stillness. “Each place tells its own story, and I try to translate that essence onto canvas.”
-----------------------------
A Favorite Piece – Gone to Seed
One of Marianne’s most meaningful works, Gone to Seed, was inspired by a weathered 1963 Chevy pickup she passes daily. “That truck stirred memories of riding beside my father, the pride of my parents’ first business, the rhythm of workdays, and the lessons my dad passed down on those drives.”
For Marianne, the painting became less about the truck itself and more about what it represented. Memory, resilience, and the lasting poetry in ordinary things. “Windows down, sawdust in the air, and the steady presence of someone I admired.”
-----------------------------
Quick Favorites
-
Favorite color to paint with: Blue. It’s beautiful warm or cool, and it captures atmosphere in my work.
-
Favorite coastal spot: The Lowcountry marshes. The light reflecting in the water and mud is pure magic.
-
Favorite art supply: Liquin medium by Winsor Newton. It creates amazing glazes and helps my paint dry.
-
Anything new? Marianne is currently working with two local retailers on bespoke art for their clients. “As an artist, it’s important to create work that people want to live with in their home.”
-----------------------------
Connect With Marianne
We are honored to feature Marianne as part of our Art Source roster of artists. You can explore more of her work here:
-----------------------------
Marianne’s work reminds us that landscapes are more than scenery, they are memory, light, and story captured on canvas.