Mary Roberson "Art Heals Both Artist and Viewer" 2020

MARY ROBERSON

September 28 – October 10, 2020 Jackson Hole Opening Reception | October 3 | 2:00–4:00pm

MARY ROBERSON Art Heals Both Artist and Viewer

Jackson Hole | Scottsdale | AltamiraArt.com

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Stormy Oil on canvas | 38.5 x 39 inches Enquire

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MARY ROBERSON My dilemma is that I have to keep myself from visiting moose and bird habitats. I’ll get going on that and neglect everything else. The pandemic has made me realize how much I love to isolate. Right now, everything seems unreal. The same is true with my paintings; painting for me is magic. I’m an artist because I have deep feelings and I know how to express them. I haven’t watched the video of George Floyd’s murder and I never will. I can’t watch news of a mountain lion getting hit by a truck.

When something hurts me, I paint. I set aside my emotions and focus entirely on painting.

This spring, because of the pandemic, I’ve been painting 10 hours per day. It affects my eyes and I don’t sleep. I exhaust myself but I love it. During those long days, I don’t necessarily finish a painting. In my bird paintings, I incorporate three-dimensional objects—grass

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and flowers—in the encaustic. A lot of that is experimentation. I don’t see how it’s possible to stay the same. I have all of these things I want to do. Sometimes I can’t—or won’t—settle on one thing. I’ll work on something for five hours, and then shift gears. I’m bad with money and finances. All of a sudden, it occurs to me: Uh-oh, what do I have left? It’s not true that creativity has nothing to do with money. It does. If I need $500 worth of art supplies, I can’t call Amazon and say, “I’ll give you a painting.” Creativity has a lot to do with comfort. When I start to worry about comfort, I turn to painting. Keeping myself financially down heightens my creativity. It makes me focus. I know that about myself. There’s no other way out for me. I don’t see how individuals without a creative outlet have hope.

The fact that the pandemic has benefited wildlife inspires me. Species that have been close to extinction may now have a chance. I don’t believe there’s a difference between us and a bird, a bear or a tree. I see everything as one, as alive, as capable of goodness. I don’t necessarily suffer over the loss of life due to the pandemic, but if it was killing elephants… as Jim Carey once said: “You are only criticizing me because I said it.” I was raised that way, that there’s no difference between you feeling, thinking or saying something. There’s no guilt trying to feel or think a certain way. It’s who you are. As humans, we think we have a grip on things, but we don’t have control over anything. Fear is the root. I’ve always been drawn to animals, even reptiles—I’m not afraid of any animals.

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Little Evergreen Oil on canvas | 60 x 60 inches Enquire

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A Walk in Nature Oil on canvas | 36 x 36 inches Enquire

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Blue Garden-Hummingbird Considered Oil, encaustic and flower branch on panel | 11 x 14 inches Enquire

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Kirtland’s Warbler Oil, encaustic and flowers on panel | 6 x 7.25 inches Eastern Bluebird Considered Oil, encaustic and flowers on panel | 12 x 6 inches Enquire

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Archival Oil on wood | 48 x 96 inches Enquire

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Wildlife Heals Oil on wood | 14 x 11 inches Whiskers and Feathers Oil on canvas | 24 x 24 inches Enquire

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Family Outing Oil on canvas | 36 x 36 inches Enquire

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Jay Considered Oil, encaustic and flowers on panel | 12 x 9 inches Enquire

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Kirtland’s Warbler Oil, encaustic and flowers on panel | 6 x 7.25 inches Life Has Many Simple Pleasures Oil and encaustic on panel | 10 x 8 inches Enquire

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Placidity Oil on canvas | 54 x 54 inches Enquire

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They are Yearling Oil on canvas | 48 x 48 inches Enquire

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Cerulean Warbler Composition Oil, encaustic and flowers on panel | 12 x 12 inches Enquire

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Meadowlark Singing Oil, encaustic and flowers on panel | 9.75 x 7.75 inches Enquire

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The Symbolic Beauty of Birds Oil and encaustic on wood | 12.5 x 9.5 inches Enquire

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Preening Sandhill Oil on canvas | 24 x 24 inches Enquire

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Natal Ravens with Wolf Oil on canvas | 36 x 36 inches Enquire

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172 Center Street | Jackson Hole Wyoming AltamiraArt.com | 307-739-4700

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