b. 1948
Wildlife, Landscape, Plein-Aire
As a young girl growing up in Redondo Beach, California, Mary Roberson was captivated by two dimensional form and technique. At the age of seven, she began visiting art galleries and museums and by the time she entered high school, she had developed her own very personal approach to painting. Her approach did not go unnoticed as recognition came to her in the form of many awards and scholarships throughout high school and college. A firm believer in the concept that the creative process should be fun, selfless, and that it is natural and distinct to every individual, she purposely limited her exposure to formal teaching. Wildlife and nature are her sources of both inspiration and reaffirmation. She notes that,
"When I struggle, I watch the critters who teach me the greatest value of all - simplicity and joy"
Her style is realism although her backgrounds hint at abstraction. The muted colors of nature -- amber, earth tones, and subtle greens dominate her palette. She stresses that "I don't want color to get in the way of composition. These are the colors in nature. How can I improve on that?" Her paintings intentionally show little detail as she states that the human eye cannot focus on more than one aspect at any one time. As a result, her work conveys a sense of understatement - opaquely visible to the viewer. Always pushing herself in new artistic directions, Mary has recently started working in encaustic, an ancient medium where heated beeswax and resin are mixed with pure color pigments.
In July of 2005, Mary's painting, The Mystic Forest, was purchased by the National Museum of Wildlife Art and was accepted into the Artists for a New Century II exhibit. It will remain part of the museum's permanent collection.
Publications
Wildlife Art Magazine, Jan/Feb 2008
Art and Antiques Magazine, Collecting in the West, Summer 2006
Southwest Art Magazine, Refuge in the Wild, November, 2005
Southwest Art Magazine, Artists to Watch, June, 2003
Wood River Journal, Idaho, January, 2003
