“One thing life has taught me:
if you are interested, you never have to look for new interests.
They come to you.
When you are genuinely interested in one thing,
it will always lead to something else.”
~Eleanor Roosevelt
How did I begin creating mixed media-paintings layered with maps and scientific illustrations?
One interest led to another…
if you are interested, you never have to look for new interests.
They come to you.
When you are genuinely interested in one thing,
it will always lead to something else.”
~Eleanor Roosevelt
How did I begin creating mixed media-paintings layered with maps and scientific illustrations?
One interest led to another…
Since 2000, landscapes have been the subject of my paintings. Initially, I was drawn to painting transient combinations of sky, light, water, and reflections. Later, I had my subjects include solid formations as well. Whether I painted transient qualities or solid forms, the landscapes I enjoyed painting most were those that were unknown or difficult to find: quiet places. Through the medium of paint, I tried to document visually the intimacy and quietness I experienced in those specific landscapes, to capture a state of quiet: places undisturbed, private, and still. I used oils, acrylics, and watercolors to paint multiple images of the same lake or landscape, changing light, perspective or abstracting forms within my work until I felt I had exhaustively represented that particular place.
When a landscape was too difficult to find, for whatever reason – be it too remote, on private property, with no public access, or very poor road conditions – I created drawings on hand-painted paper from the lake maps I studied. I call these “lost lakes” and felt just as strongly that these deserve to be documented as well.
After painting sky, light, water, and reflections for a number of years, I became interested in exploring landscapes underground that lacked both light and sound. My interest in geology peaked at Mammoth Cave National Park, where I was awarded my first artist residency in 2005. One year later, I drove almost 700 miles to my second artist residency at Wildacres. I drove to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park first, then along the Blue Ridge Parkway to Wildacres near Little Switzerland. It was here – with my maps strewn all over my residency cabin before I even began unpacking for the week – that I began collaging maps into my paintings.
Have you had an interest in one thing lead to another…and another...and another?
As for another small action I took yesterday, I did add a banner to my Etsy store and added one more painting for sale!
Mary
When a landscape was too difficult to find, for whatever reason – be it too remote, on private property, with no public access, or very poor road conditions – I created drawings on hand-painted paper from the lake maps I studied. I call these “lost lakes” and felt just as strongly that these deserve to be documented as well.
After painting sky, light, water, and reflections for a number of years, I became interested in exploring landscapes underground that lacked both light and sound. My interest in geology peaked at Mammoth Cave National Park, where I was awarded my first artist residency in 2005. One year later, I drove almost 700 miles to my second artist residency at Wildacres. I drove to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park first, then along the Blue Ridge Parkway to Wildacres near Little Switzerland. It was here – with my maps strewn all over my residency cabin before I even began unpacking for the week – that I began collaging maps into my paintings.
Have you had an interest in one thing lead to another…and another...and another?
As for another small action I took yesterday, I did add a banner to my Etsy store and added one more painting for sale!
Mary
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