Check out Mary Dove’s Artwork

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Dove.

Mary, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
The question I’m most often asked is, “How do you select your subjects to draw or paint?” The statement, not an easy answer because there is no selection formula. Maybe the process is intuitive. It begins as a feeling of catching my attention. The next step is, “I can’t get the image out of my head.” One of my subjects I thought about for 30 years before its time in line to paint arrived.

The next major concern, does the subject contain a challenge; an area or texture I’ve never painted before. Is there an experience in this adventure which will contribute to my personal artistic growth? With these boxes check off, the subject is saved in a “to paint” file for later consideration.

By the 9th grade, I was a portrait artist. To this status, learning perspective was added to my art experience which influenced my decision to major in architecture in college. In my 9th grade art class, we went outside, sat on the curb, and selected a home across the street to draw in 2-point perspective. During this period my mother was always drawing her dream home which was never built because my dad had a stroke when I was 18.

With my architectural experience in college, it was easy to fearless become engaged with all forms of architectural structures. As a high school art teacher, the one aspect taught the students was to pay attention to the values occupied within the first 4 boundary lines on the painting. Sunlit, for me, is one of the most important aspects of my paintings. Sunlite provides the opportunity to contrast the bright light against strong shadows. This process is expressed in my watercolor, Santa Fe Sunlit Patio, which gave me the opportunity to dance the light and shadows throughout the paint which created depth by looking through the gate and the patio window.

The texture was the challenge for The Autumn of Life watercolor (on my website); a play on words, being the autumn of the year and the autumn in the life of this structure. To create two different enclosure effects, one being rusting bent wire and the second being the chicken wire as one looks through the coop yet not allow the wire to be dominant and become a distraction in the paint. All parts of any painting need to sing together.

The Blue Domes of Santorini, a drafting challenge, a joy to execute and then get the painting finished. A secondary challenge was the introduction of negative space to a 30×22 watercolor. For me, by incorporating negative space with any subject matter requires a strong mental focus. My constant thought, is the story complete, is it understood by the viewer, can I stop now by leaving the element of negative space (an unfinished area of the painting)?

Sometimes I chose to paint the soul of the subject, such as Sedona Arizona Dry Beaver Creek Sycamore. This is an old, dying sycamore tree in a dry creek bed, once a beautiful tree in its last phase of life. In this case, the challenge was to capture a strong spirit with a will to live.

My flowers, painted in watercolor and oils, stands in the same light of execution and technique, as an architectural structure. I’m a portrait artist of people, structures, and nature. When the negotiation between me and the painting is over; when both I and the painting move into a mode of enjoyment; being a zone painter when finished, I’m not sure how the painting was created; my bond with the painting is broken for it to be freed into the River of Life.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
Visual arts became a significant part of Mary Dove’s life at an early age. Today, her greatest delight is “to capture by saving a moment, sometimes historical” which, when shared with others, communicate an experience long remembered. She loves a good story in each creation to strike an emotional chord with the viewer. Her artwork is at its best expressing her passion and interest for the chosen subject. Her art is a personal adventure which begins with an intellectual challenge, a visual design, and new problem-solving aspects all wrapped into each project.

Her experience starting in architecture, then moving into commercial art, technical illustration, graduating with a Master Degree major in Art Education, Educational Technology, Fine Art and Special Education enables her work to depict an understanding of structure; a keen eye for detail along with the skill of execution. The viewer is drawn into the work as a participant because of the emotions and respect brought to all levels of the pictorial story. Her “diversified interests” are conveyed through carefully selected themes which reflect the intent of this awareness in nature, people, and structures.

What do you think it takes to be successful as an artist?
Some major defining characteristics of a professional essential to success in any field and as it related to the artist are: self-discipline, ability to focus and hold that focus for an extended period of time; stick with the objective of the chosen task; patience with yourself; willing to work consistently at the development of your craft (build your book and DVD library, webinars, etc. – I’m a proponent of workshops, the artist needs to develop their own voice through work and discovery; become educated in all aspects of your chosen field plus be up to speed with and refining your marketing skills, computer skills, Photoshop skills, in some cases photography skills.

When your chosen journey is to be an artist it is endless. You work as intently at the end of this life experience as you did, in the beginning, starting to learn one step at a time. This venture fed your soul, your passion, and your life force. Once you realized you were born to be an artist you live to create something to express this enter drive and dominant life force that makes you feel fulfilled and happy.

For me personally, I am successful when it is not necessary to balance my checkbook monthly. This has been my success standard for many years. The pressure is taken off the internal creative forces. I am and feel successful regardless of my endeavors, focus or current income source.

As a sidebar: after my divorce in 1975 with 3 teenagers I chose to become a Southern California Real Estate broker for 30 years. With my retirement, we build and moved to Sedona in 2003. In 2004 I picked up my art focus again and started over from my 1975 professional art career. I’m amazed at my accomplishment in this short period of time after having taken 30 years off from painting. It’s never too later to start over or just follow your dream

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
The Mary Dove Art website is the main point of contact. All of the events and show participation are posted and updated at the page bottom with an opportunity to sign up for newsletter communication and join the Art Club family. https://marydoveart.com

BoldBrush “Informed Collector” is a great way to keep up with her new artwork postings and other artist chosen to be followed. http://informedcollector.com

Contact Info:

• Address: 70 East Bighorn Court
  Sedona Arizona 86351
• Website: https://marydoveart.com https://mary-dove.pixels.com https://marydoveart.blogspot.com
• Phone: 928-284-0919
• Email: marydovesedona@hotmail.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/marydoveart
• Other: LinkedIn Network on Alignable Art Organizations, as a Member, Websites

Image Credit:
Baubaus Prairie Art Gallery (Juried shows and Awards)
• Awards: (1) Best of Show; (1) 2nd Place; 2 Honorable Mentions; 4 times Noteworthy

Arizona Art Alliance (AAA) Phoenix – Juried Member
• 2 consecutive years – 1st Place Winners Circle (statewide competition)
• Juried into the WHAM Gallery Show – Surprise Arizona
• Juried into the Holland Gallery of Fine Art – Scottsdale Arizona

Northern Arizona Watercolor Society (NAWS) Sedona Arizona – Juried Member
• Juried into 12 Annual Members Shows
• Awards: (4) 1st Place; 2 Juror’s Choice; (3) People’s Choice;
• Award of Merit and Certificate of Excellence.

Arizona Watercolor Association (AWA) – Scottsdale Arizona – Gold Signature Member
• Juried into 16 plus Member’s Shows
• Best of AWA show Mesa Contemporary Arts At Mesa Art Center
• Award of Merit;
• Juried into the Western Federation Watercolor Societies

Sedona Arts Center (SAC) – Sedona Arizona
• 5 awards in Oil Pastel Paints – (1) 1st Place, (3) 2nd Place, (1) 3rd Place
• (2) 1st Places in Watercolor; (1) 1st Place in Oil Painting

Phoenix Sky Harbor Art Museum Phoenix Arizona
• Juried 5 times into statewide competitions terminal (4) October to May shows schedules
Sedona Arizona Guild of Artists (SAGA) –Sedona Arizona – Signature Member
• (2) 2nd Places; Honorable Mention

Arizona Artist Guild (AAG) Phoenix Area 90 years Old – Juried Member
• Juried into the 90th Anniversary show at the Phoenix Sky Harbor Art Museum
• (3) Merit Awards and 1 People’s Choice Award

West Valley Arts Council Invitational Show – Surprise Arizona
• 1st Place 2 consecutive years

City of Sedona 2 month One-Woman Show with 24 pieces of artwork

Fine Art Studio On Line – selected for “Informed Collector” Notice

BoldBrush Monthly Open Competition – 3 times Juror’s 15% selection from approx 1800 average monthly entries

Juried Member of the Association of Village Artists (AVA) – Closed

Sedona Visual Artists Coalition – Best of Show – Juried Member

Canyon Moon Theater Gallery – Sedona Arizona – 1st juried show – Best of Show

Canyon Mesa Country Club – Sedona Arizona – One Woman Show

Sedona Art Museum Artist of the Month

Private Showing at the proposed Sedona Art Museum

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