Art That Makes an Impact

There are pieces of art that just get stuck in your mind. The artwork is just so beautiful, so unusual, and makes such a statement that you cannot forget it, nor do you want to. When I first saw the work of Northwest artist Mary Carlton, I almost crumbled in admiration.




She was primarily a collage artist who is best known for her figures and landscapes. When I first began to use Pinterest, I put quite a bit of her work on one of my boards. Of all the art I have on my various Pinterest boards, this figure to the right is the image that is most often loved and saved to someone else's board. I see this as a tribute to the power of this artist and her work. Unfortunately, she died in 2013, so there are no more pieces to come from this wonderful artist.




















I do not mean to compare my work to hers, but I am including my own piece, Caribbean Cornrows I which is also primarily a collaged piece with handmade patterns as well. I had attempted to paint this scene from a photo I took in Roatan, Honduras several times. I was unsuccessful until I started ripping paper from less successful paintings to create the painting below.

I had so much fun creating the collaged piece, I gave myself the challenge of painting a second version in transparent watercolor (image below). Playing with patterns using both collage and hand made patterns has long interested me as an artist. And I find a pattern often gives a painting a bit of that unique and interesting element I so admire in Mary Carlton's work.

If you are also interested in patterns, I will be teaching a workshop in Newport, Oregon, March 3, 4, and 5, 2018.