BIOGRAPHY
"I paint what I love, and I love what I paint."
I am an artist. Painting is a joy to me. I paint what I love, and I love what I paint. Painting takes me to a place where I can reach into a deeper part of myself and bring forth my unique expression of what I find beautiful. The sources of my inspiration come from experience, from myth and metaphor, from the imagination, from the things that move me and intrigue me. My creativity is ignited by a wise and expressive face, by a serendipitous movement, by a surprising collision of color, form, and light. These precious slices of beauty come together in my mind’s eye, where they are constructed into an assemblage that I find pleasing. Before I set down a stroke, I allow the imminent creation to gestate for a while. I give the painting time to come into being within me. Its essence is established before I even begin.
When I approach an creation, it is with purpose and clarity, but also with flexibility and openness. Every painting or drawing must find its own way, its own distinct expression, sometimes waiting for my guidance, sometimes coaxing me into taking an unexpected path. I know a piece is complete when it brings a smile to my face, and I can step back and say, “This is good. This is true. This is beautiful. And, I love it.”
Mary Lauren Karlton has studied painting and intaglio printmaking in Chicago, San Francisco, and Santa Fe. Her style is eclectic, ranging from realism to rich, highly textured works that combine elements of collage, photography, and abstraction. She is captivated by the versatility and expressive potential of acrylic media. As a writer, Mary delights in capturing a mood or story with elegance and precision. She informs her paintings with the same intent. Her heroes in the art world are multifaceted and innovative — DaVinci, Lautrec, Van Gogh, Picasso, Dali, Magritte, Klimt, Schiele, O’Keefe, DeKoonig, and Richter.
Mary Karlton
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831.325-9170
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