About
Learn about Mary and her background, influences and approach to painting.
About the artist
I have always enjoyed making art. My love of painting and drawing goes back to my childhood, when I would sit next to my father as he painted at his easel. Occasionally he would offer my pieces of board to paint on and my love of art was born.
My early influences were mainly Mervyn Peake's illustrations for Treasure Island and I would write and illustrate my own stories.
Background
I graduated from Portsmouth Polytechnic with a degree in Fine Art. For many years I continued to pursue art alongside raising a family and working in a public library.
In 2018, I started to paint full time after I broke my ankle. I used this time to start looking at my subject matter in detail.
Painting
My main motivation for painting has always been my love of colour. I love the jewel like colours in flowers and have been painting them in watercolour to depict their fragile nature.
Watercolour is a difficult medium to master. It is very unforgiving, as each mistake is there for all to see. I have grown to love the challenge watercolour presents. It is the perfect medium to express the delicate nature of flowers. Each painting is a result of many drawings which I reassemble to make a new composition.
