Mary Gardner
Acrylic|Oil|Watercolor
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Bio
I started drawing in high school, sketching faces from magazines. It was satisfying trying to interpret what I saw, but I had no inclination at that time to pursue art. It wasn’t until 1972 after moving to New York City that I began a series of line portraits, sketching people in Washington Square Park and the Village Gate, a jazz club in Greenwich Village. Many of the musicians were well known and I sketched as I listened to greats like Bill Evans, Ahmad Jamal and other notables.
My first formal art experience was a life-drawing class at the Art Students League where I discovered a love of figure drawing. Design was another area of interest and I attended Parsons, but my passion for fine art and free expression led me back to spontaneity. After a class with Philip, a respected artist and teacher, I began incorporating design elements into my work. In the late 80s I moved to the Hamptons with friends. Inspired by the light and beauty of the area I was fortunate to exhibit my work at several galleries. The “Pink Cow” was featured in an exhibit in Manhattan at the Mark Milliken Gallery and the East End Art Gallery in East Hampton.
I try to capture the essence of my subject, the personality, rather than an exact likeness. I find that sometimes a painting seems to paint itself, as if the subject has taken over and I’m merely an observer.