Mary Phillips creates drawings and oil paintings which tell visual stories of our world with clarity through her unique abilities. Generally, this means using a realistic and representational depiction, enabling the viewer to easily impose their own insight and relevance upon that which they see. It is her purpose to edify, fascinate, and cause a deeper consideration of the subjects portrayed.
Mary began studying fine art as a teenager and relocated from California to Southern New Hampshire at the age of 30. From an early age, she has always drawn inspiration from artists like Rembrandt, Lawrence, Vermeer, Raphael Peele, Velasquez, Titian, the American Ten Painters, the Hudson River School, Ingres, Sir Henry Raeburn, and Winslow Homer, just to name a few.
Mary’s process is somewhat time consuming and is executed in a fashion reminiscent of these European painters before the 1800s. She develops a composition and draws it with pencil or charcoal. The drawing is then transferred to canvas, where it is underpainted in value scale. Color is then applied and finished with final glazing. To develop her skill even further, she found a strong mentorship studying with Numael and the late Shirley Pulido from Hancock, NH. This dynamic and talented artist couple greatly influenced her painting philosophy and technique, a specific technique indicative of the Old Master’s.
Mary has exhibited her work in a large range of shows throughout New England and the United States, including The Guild of Boston Artist’s Annual Regional Painting Competition, the Butler Institute of American Art’s Midyear Show in Youngstown, Ohio, and the New Hampshire Art Association’s 60th Annual Exhibition at the Currier Museum. Mary is a consistent exhibitor at the New Hampshire Antique Coop in Milford, New Hampshire. She has also served as a docent and member of the Lowell Art Association for the past four years and has participated in numerous exhibitions at the Whistler House Museum of Art.
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