This Mount Pleasant artist finds inspiration in the landscape around her.

Amelia Rose Smith, or Rose as her friends call her, has always been a painter, and she also loves getting up early to be active outdoors. So, when she was selected as the mural artist for the new Mount Pleasant location in South Carolina, she was thrilled.

“I was very surprised to be selected for this project,” said Rose. “I have a deep respect for my work, but there are a lot of really good artists in the area. The challenge was trying not to second-guess myself because I wanted to do the best I could.”

Rose created three painted panels depicting the dunes, waves and people she sees on her morning walks on nearby Sullivan’s Island and Isle of Palms. The paintings don’t show any one point in time. Instead, they’re a combination of what she encounters. They’re loosely painted — recognizable but not realistic.

“I love realism, but my work is more impressionist,” she says. “It evokes more of a mood. I like my work to have the impression of an atmosphere.”

Rose began her career illustrating wildlife and plants in South Carolina and Georgia for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Now, she works as a full-time artist from her home studio. She had her first gallery show in 1984 and has exhibited her work regularly in the Charleston area ever since.

“I breathe and think painting,” she says. “It’s part of my life. It’s second nature to me.”

You can see more of Rose’s work by visiting ameliarosesmith.net.