Artist Statement
“Nothing is less real than realism itself” Georgia O’Keefe
“The creative mind plays with the objects it sees.” Carl Jung
Mary Jane Martin is developing her own style by trying new and different techniques using water media. She loves to see and experiment with “what if” in creating her work. Currently, she is working on three series. “Since moving to the coast, I have been intriqued by the birds that land on the rail of my dock. I have taken numerous pictures of these birds and have begun to paint from these photos.” This has morphed into a series paying tribute the many birds that frequent the marshes. It is also influenced by the recent oil spill in the gulf.
The second series came from happy daydreams of red flowers. The flowers are not realistic but have a jaunty air about them. “This series is symbolizes some real passages and changes in my art and in my life. Most important, I love painting them and seeing what comes next in the series. They make me happy.”
A third series is very non-objective. One can see forms reminiscent of realistic images that seem to emerge from the background to give one pause, to observe and then look more closely. This series focuses on the study of color,texture and shape.
Mary Jane continues to seek new ways of self expression and expression of the world in which she lives. Her techniques and perspective are constantly changing.
Bio
Mary Jane Martin currently lives in Beaufort, South Carolina with her husband John, three dogs and a cat. She has four children who have struck out to conquer worlds of their own. She retired from teaching and moved to Beaufort and has pursued her personal art from a house by the water.
Her childhood was spent p on a dairy farm outside of Indianapolis, Indiana. Surrounded by woods, cows, horses and six siblings. Her art journey began in kindergarten where her interest in drawing was encouraged by Mrs. Latz(kindergarten teacher) and her mother. This early interest in drawing was maintained all the way through high school. She attended some children’s classes at John Herron Institute and took all the classes she could at Lawrence Central High School with Mr. Doversberger. After graduation, she attended Purdue University to study Veternary Science but ended up with her first interest, art. She earned a Fine Art/Art Education degree from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. After college, she taught art in public and independent schools. In between, she worked in advertising for two different companies. In 1999, the family moved to Beaufort where the decision was made to work full time on her art.
A new journey began, one of experimentation with different mediums, ranging from ceramics to printmaking to painting. Mary Jane realized that her passion is expressing herself on canvas or paper. Her exploration of watermedia is ongoing; she enjoys layering different water media and considers her art contemporary. Her subject matter is varied but can be traced to nature and her environment. Palms, coast, sunsets, animals and people all are subject to her interpretations.
Mary Jane has attended workshops with nationally known artists such as Mary Todd Beam, Betsy Dillard Stroud, Louise Cadillac, Edee Joppich, Edy Lampasoma, Eric Wiegardt, Michael Shilicting, Pat Lusk, Pat San Soucie, Ben Konis, Willliam Crosby, and others.
Her work has won awards locally, regionally and state wide. She has achieved master status in the South Carolina Watermedia Society. She also holds signature status in the International Society of Experimental Artist Society. Her work can be seen at the Art and Soul Gallery in Beaufort, SC.
Awards
2003 Beaufort Art Association Spring Show – Founder‘s Award
2004 Beaufort Art Association Spring Show – Second Place Award
South Carolina State Fair Juried Show – Merit Award
2005 Beaufort Art Association Spring Show –Award of Excellence
2006 Beaufort Art Association Spring Show- Second Place Award / and Henrietta Weschler Award
2007 Beaufort Art Association Spring Show – Founder’s Award
South Carolina Watermedia Society – Traveling Show/ 10th Place Award
2008 Beaufort Art Association Spring Show – Best in Show
2008 Hilton Head National Juried Show – Honorable Mention
2009 Beaufort Art Association Spring Show – Second Place
2010 Beafort Art Association Spring Show – Third Place
Juried into the 2008 International Society of Experimental Artists Annual Show
2009 Beaufort Art Association Spring Show – Second Place
2009 Juried into the Hilton Head National Juried Show