Grace Marquez Studio

04/19/2026

Two spots have opened up on the Philippines trip I’m leading for anyone who’d like to join us! For divers you’ll enjoy turtles on almost every dive, seeing the colourful Mandarin fish on a dusk dive that’ll become a night dive when huge cuttlefish come out and display their colours! Plus we’ll have a painting workshop included as part of the trip where you’ll create your own keepsake of the trip! 🎨

Dive the Philippines with Dan's Dive Shop and explore the beauty that awaits with whalesharks, turtles, reefs, sardines, and so much more.

12/19/2025

Delivered this commissioned painting yesterday and my heart is full. This one captures a special memory from Hawaii, and I feel incredibly lucky to be trusted with moments like this. Thank you so much to Clare for commissioning it for Jeff and for supporting my art. Being able to create something that holds joy, memory, and meaning, and then becomes part of a family’s story, is such a gift. I’m so grateful to get to do this and I love turtles too!🐢💙

12/15/2025

I haven’t posted in a while and honestly—It’s been kind of amazing. There’s something really freeing about working without sharing every step along the way.

That said, 🤣here’s a small detail from a painting I’m delivering this week. I’ll share the full painting once it’s delivered ☺️ I paint a lot of shipwrecks, but moments like this remind me why the living reef still stops me in my tracks. Seeing creatures like this, right where they belong, never gets old.

09/30/2025

🔴SOLD and California-bound! 🌊✈️
This piece, “Exploring the Stern of a WWII Shipwreck in the Red Sea,” is getting ready for its journey west. The collector shared that “The peaceful image and tone of this piece drew me in, but then I read the meaning behind it, which I can relate to right now, so I had to have it! “

I love painting wrecks because of their stories transformation, reflection, and depth. Thank you A for sharing how you connected so deeply with this piece 💕

09/23/2025

One of my favourite things about sending art into the world is when it becomes part of someone’s else’s story. “Sanctuary in the Swell” was given as a birthday gift from a loving husband to his wonderful wife 🎉🐠 It’s a piece about resilience and calm, showing how even in the turbulence of the swell, there’s always a safe place to rest. Now it brings that same sense of peace and connection into their home every day. 🌊💙 Thank you J & M for adding another of my paintings to your collection!

09/12/2025

Have the warm and fuzzies to see my painting of the SS Saganaga’s anchor hanging at Ocean Quest Adventures! We dove the wreck again yesterday, and it was every bit as stunning as the day it first sparked the idea for the painting.

08/30/2025

This summer has been a quieter one for my art page, and I wanted to share a little bit of the why.

At first glance, 2024 may have looked like a busy year for me with exhibitions throughout the UK, at the Royal Geographical Society in London and at the Pumphouse Arts Centre in Niagara-on-the-Lake. But what isn’t always visible is that those shows were actually booked the year before. Behind the scenes, most of 2024 was focused on family. In January, my dad was hospitalized with complications following chemo, and he spent the entire year in the hospital.

This year, thankfully, has been a very different season. My dad is home, recovering, and adjusting to life outside the hospital again. That shift inspired me to take the summer off from posting and to be present for the quieter moments.

Now, with September arriving, I feel that familiar sense of change. For me, September has always felt more like a “new year” than January—it’s a season of transitions, nostalgia, and fresh starts. I’m excited about upcoming projects and proposals that will shape 2026, along with more travel and diving to fuel my practice.

In the spirit of returning, I’m revisiting the circle mixed media drawings that first nudged me to start showing my art professionally. The piece I’m sharing here feels like a full-circle moment, both literally and figuratively ("Bubble: Canopy Below" mixed media soft pastel and acrylic paint on paper). ✨

08/26/2025

🙏✨Big thanks to a collector in Illinois 🇺🇸 who just added two paintings—"Detail of the Chrysalis" and "Within Reach of the Light" to his family home. I love that he connects with the colours, contrasts, and the stories behind each—and that they’ve found the perfect spot in his dining room. Honestly, what better place for art that sparks conversation and makes mealtimes more interesting? 🍷🖼️💕

08/20/2025

Fun fact: I also do a lot of illustration! These are off to an amazing little boy who loves sharks! These inspired a fun project I’m hoping to announce before the year end!! Who else loves sharks? 🙋🏻‍♀️❤️🦈

07/29/2025

I’ve been quiet on here this summer, just enjoying the season behind the scenes and less focused on posting. Don’t worry I’ll be sharing more artwork at the end of the summer but in the meantime here’s a great feature from Scuba diving Canada of Dan's Dive Shop, Inc. where I teach scuba diving and help to introduce more lovely humans to the magical world underwater.

06/07/2025

From Inside the Lord Strathcona wreck - I keep painting this wreck, this time from inside the bridge area.

Down there, nothing moves fast.
But everything is changing.
Even in stillness, there’s transformation. Mother Nature transforms every surface and brings life to it as an artificial reef.