ARTIST STATEMENT

Southwest Sedona artist, Mary Dove, creates images to stop memories from flying away which provides a remembered visual encounter. She tells stories in pictures by striking an emotional chord with art enthusiasts. In passion and energy she sends her paintings out to expand and connect with like minded collectors in a shared experience.

Resume:

The question often asked is, “How do you select your subjects to draw or paint?” This statement, not an easy answer, because there is no selection formula; maybe the process is intuitive. It begins as a feeling catching my attention. The next step is, “I can’t get the image out of my head.”

A major concern, does the subject contain a challenge; an area or texture I’ve never painted before. Is there an experience in this adventure which will contribute to my personal artistic growth? With these boxes checked the subject is saved in a “to paint” file for later consideration.

By the 9th grade, I was a portrait artist. To this status, learning perspective was added to my art experience which influenced my decision to major in architecture in college. In my 9th grade art class, we went outside, sat on the curb, and selected a home across the street to draw in 2 point perspective.

With my architectural experience in college, it was easy to fearlessly become engaged with all forms of architectural structures. As a high school art teacher, one aspect taught to the students was to pay attention to the values occupied within the first 4 boundary lines on their painting. Sunlit, for me, is an important aspect of my paintings. Sunlit provides the opportunity to contrast bright light against strong shadows. This process is expressed in my watercolor, Sunlit Patio, which gave me the opportunity to dance the light and shadows throughout the paint which created depth by looking through the gate and the patio window.

The texture was the challenge for the Autumn of Life; a play on words, being the autumn of the year and autumn in the life of these structures. To create two different enclosure effects, one being rusting bent wire and the second being the chicken wire as one looks through the coop yet not allow the wire to dominate and become a distraction in the paint. All parts of any painting need to sing together.

The Blue Domes of Santorini, a drafting challenge, a joy to execute. A secondary challenge was the introduction of negative space to a 30×22 watercolor. For me, to incorporating negative space with any subject requires a strong mental focus. My constant thought, is the story complete, is it understood by the viewer, can I stop now?

Sometimes I choose to paint the soul of the subject, such as Dry Beaver Creek Sycamore, an old dying sycamore tree in a dry creek bed. Once a beautiful tree in its last phase of life, in this case, the challenge was to capture a strong spirit with a will to live. I’m a portrait artist of people, structures, animals, and nature.

When finished both I and the painting move into a mode of enjoyment. Being a zone painter, I’m not sure how the painting was created; then my bond with the painting is broken to be free to flow into the River of Life. Enjoy and
‘Collect The Art of Mary Dove.’

Website: https://marydoveart.com

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 928-284-0919