Vintage Allies Quarterly Magazine VAV! MAG us behind the scenes of Ms. Cross' exquisite paintings and allows us into her powerful journey – into the world of faith and determination. Beyond this experience, Ms. Cross also talks about her creative process and her role as storyteller through her art. For all those who have the good fortune to witness them, her paintings leave an indelible experience of calm, tranquility and empowerment. It was a great honor and pleasure for me to interview Ms. Cross and to be drawn into her world. I believe this interview will be a beautiful source of inspiration for our listeners." Background: At the young age of 8, Mary Jane knew she wanted the beautiful things in life and realized by the age of 11 that this was called being an artist. In the early 1970s, as a student at Worcester Art Museum, Mary Jane Q. Cross was searching for the meaning of life. She felt that modern art was lacking the spirit of God. The 20 years that followed, training under the influence of the Pre-Raphaelites, she was selflessly intent on liberating her art from the voluminous weight of objectivity and enthusing a bit of eternity into her own paintings. She would later say "Her art became paintings that wrapped her with arms she had never seen." In 1992, Mary Jane suffered a devastatingly extreme reaction to a well known prescription medication which created a severe permanent right-sided tremor. She is quoted to say upon reflection "My world came crashing down. The tools I needed to work were gone." It appeared that she may never paint again. Over the following 5 1/2 years, in response to this loss, Mary Jane tested her painters' heart Vintage Allies Quarterly Magazine (VAV! MAG)
seeking widespread ways of expressing her talents. She was insistent in her prayers begging God, "Please take away my desire to paint!" When her prayers went unanswered she said "Lord, I'm listening, I'm ready. How do we deal with this?" It was with an open, ever humble and willing heart that Cross found a new generation of water-mixable oil paints and new technique that she could soon work with. That technique Mary Jane introduces into her paintings are once again through the gifts of her hands, but in another style. She uses the knuckles of her fingers, and the fleshy part of the inside of her hands to create work that transcends the heart. The style of her paintings had now assumed a recognizable American form while drawn from a personal symbolic liberation. As she gained the capabilities to refine her message of art, her first new works were Impressionistic landscapes in the style of Claude Monet. Mary Jane had a wealth of experience to draw from as a previous work shop teacher in the Monet gardens in Givenrny, France. However, the work that remained closest to her heart was and is the inspiration of the pre-Raphaelites, the 19th century movement dedicated to Renaissance ideals. You'll find this apparent in her portraits of slender silhouetted girls and young women in idyllic settings that provoke a sense of well being, purity, romance, respect and integrity. Mary Jane has self published an impressive large, glossy book of "Poems of a Painter, Paintings of a Prayer". This book is saturated with deeply moving poetry, prayer and reproductions of her magnificent art.
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