art by carol may

Painting art has been my passion for many years. Art by Carol May is my way of sharing.

My heartfelt desire is to share God's gift of painting with others. He deserves all the glory!

  • It's a pleasure sharing my original paintings and fine art prints.
  • Also, I enjoy sharing my years of painting experience with budding artists.
Art by Carol May, original oil painting of a winter snow scene"Winter Wonderland"

the beginning of art by carol may

My joy of painting started with an art class in Junior High School. Later I minored in art at college. 

My painting journey began with Bill Alexander - Bob Ross style mountains.One of my early paintings

The art classes were fun, but my horticulture major was the main focus. After graduation most of my time was spent earning a living.

Art was set aside until my mother retired and took up painting. She studied painting under various art teachers.

Bill Alexander was one of her teachers. Bill also taught the artist Bob Ross. My mother became one of Bill's certified teachers, just like Bob Ross.

She started teaching art and gave me painting lessons.

My beginning paintings were landscapes in the Bill Alexander (Bob Ross) method. Mountains were a frequent subject, as in the photo.

from the mountains to the seashore

Pelicans are amazing birds to paint with watercolor."Paddlin' Pelican" waiting to be painted

Later my husband and I moved to Florida where we had our own business.

The business kept us quite busy, but when there was time, I painted.

My paintings changed from mountainous landscapes to the plants and animals of Florida.

Pelicans are an amazing gift of God that I had never seen before. They intrigued me and I started painting them.

I did so many pelican paintings that after a while I vowed, "No more pelican paintings!"

Well that lasted for a while, but here is a more recent paintings of a pelican.

It's still fun doing bird paintings.

ribbons and awards for art by carol may

A Best of Show award for an oil painting.Honored with a Best of Show

Artists tend to paint what we see around us. Actually, that is the best way to learn painting.

The flora and fauna of Florida put me in awe! Plants and animals have always been a joy for me.

The pelicans and all the other birds and flowers of Florida were all new to me and they are amazing.

First the pelicans and egrets were the subject of my paintings. I painted brown pelicans, white pelicans, flying pelicans, pelicans standing on pilings or on the beach.

Egrets made beautiful paintings, whether they were standing, flying or walking in the surf.

Then I started painting the flowers and seascapes of Florida.

This flower painting of Hibiscus was privileged to earn a best of show ribbon.

best of show award

Best of Show award for artist Carol May"Country Barns"

Since my mom and I now lived in different states, I rarely got to paint with her any more.

But one time we went to the New England area and painted on location for two weeks.

It was the first time I had ever seen the beautiful fall colors of New England. That was awesome! We didn't see many fall colors in Florida.

After I got home, I continued working on the paintings.

When "Country Barns" was complete, I entered it in a local show. It was privileged to win another best of show award.

My painting roots are in landscapes and I enjoy doing seascapes, too.

Why do i paint?

A Ruby-throated Hummingbird visiting azalea flowersSpring Beauty

My goal as an artist is to share the beauty and wonder of God's beautiful creations.

I have always had a love for nature. My first paintings were landscape paintings.

Then some of my favorite subjects were birds, butterflies, hummingbirds and other critters like giraffes and dolphins.

Now I am working on flower paintings. They often will include a butterfly or a hummingbird.

My paintings are signed with my first and middle name - Carol May.

I hope you enjoy my artwork, as much as I enjoy painting and sharing it.

See more hummingbird paintings.

more awards

Best of oil class award for artist Carol May.More Awards "Koi Meeting"

As time permitted, I continued to paint and enter local shows.

This painting "Koi Meeting" won the best of the class award for oil paintings.

It was the largest painting I had ever done to date, four feet wide. A real estate company bought it to hang in their new office. What an honor!

My paintings are smaller now-a-days, but it's still just as much fun painting art.

You can paint, too! How do we paint good art?

Art by Carol May

My favorite watercolor painting by Carol MayMy favorite Florida painting

When the paintings started running out of the spare bedroom, Art by Carol May was born.

In the beginning I put my paintings in galleries.

Then I joined a wonderful art co-op, Island Arts in Cedar Key, Florida. It was fun working with the other artists.

My husband suggested we do some of the art street festivals in Florida.  We did that for a few years.

It was such a joy meeting people and sharing art with them.

Now the internet reaches many more people than the street festivals.

teaching painting

I started teaching watercolor to aspiring studentsThe dolphins are "Born Free".

I taught the Bill Alexander (Bob Ross) method of oil painting to students in Florida.

About the turn of the century, I started painting with watercolor. I taught myself to paint watercolor using the basic art principles.

These principles of art apply to all types of paintings no matter what medium we use.

People started asking me to teach my watercolor methods, so I taught some watercolor classes to aspiring artists.

We painted things like the Florida Bottlenose Dolphins.

what am i painting now?

Banded Butterfly Fish in oils by Carol MayA quick, fun painting

In the past I would only paint when there was a full day or maybe a week to devote to painting.

It takes discipline to make painting a regular habit.

Now my goal is to make painting a regular habit.

I am working on this situation by painting smaller. I am doing a series of small 8x8" paintings.

You will find some of these paintings on the Painting Daily page.

There are many beautiful saltwater fish in south Florida. This butterfly fish is found more in the Pacific.

It was fun to paint and made a nice little painting completed in one day.

it's time to pass it on

I keep learning and growing but, it's time to pass it on.

Now after retirement, my home is in a small town in horse and cattle country. Horses are a joy to paint.

When I moved here, I had the aspirations of selling paintings like I did in Florida and giving painting lessons.

But the painting market is not as lively here, as it is in Florida. And my house is not big enough to have students.

My desire is to share my years of experience with budding artists to advance their artistic journey.

So, I needed to change horses in the middle of the stream.

Art by Carol May needed to expand.

what could i do?

The internet reaches the world thru the World Wide Web. I figured it was worth the plunge. So, I jumped in and built a website for my art. But it hardly went anywhere.

Then a friend showed me her website hosted by Solo Build It, SBI. She had lots of web visitors from different countries all around the world.

I took the plunge and SBI now hosts my website. What a difference it made!

can a website boost your business?

You bet it can - Solo Build It, SBI way outperformed my expectations!

Now, Art by Carol May paintings and prints go into the nations around the world.

Plus, I get to share my experiences and knowledge with budding artists wherever they live.

It wasn't necessary to jump in feet first with a big commitment.

Solo Build It has a full guarantee with 90-day test drive period.


Solo Build It!

there's lots more to see on art by carol may!

You might like these

  • Beautiful nature paintings, oh the joy of painting nature everything from butterflies to sea dragons, sunsets to seascapes. Enjoy nature with art by Carol May

    Beautiful Nature Paintings

    Beautiful nature paintings, oh the joy of painting nature everything from butterflies to sea dragons, sunsets to seascapes. Enjoy nature with art by Carol May

  • Paintings of flowers are very challenging, but such a joy to paint! Enjoy flower paintings of roses, daisies and more, watercolor and oil paintings by Carol May.

    Paintings of Flowers

    Paintings of flowers are very challenging, but such a joy to paint! Enjoy flower paintings of roses, daisies and more, watercolor and oil paintings by Carol May.

  • Use good composition in art to draw in the viewers. Use the rule of center lines, the rule of thirds and other easy tips that attract viewers to our paintings.

    Composition in Art

    Use good composition in art to draw in the viewers. Use the rule of center lines, the rule of thirds and other easy tips that attract viewers to our paintings.

  • Fine art prints for sale by the artist Carol May. Enjoy the beauty of landscapes, seascapes, flowers, butterflies, hummingbirds, and many interesting critters.

    Art Prints for Sale by the artist Carol May

    Fine art prints for sale by the artist Carol May. Enjoy the beauty of landscapes, seascapes, flowers, butterflies, hummingbirds, and many interesting critters.




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