Autumn Years Spring 2024

Mary has most recently been expressing herself by using alcohol inks with the compressor.

she does not show the same work at the same place. Locally she has exhibited at: The Stable in Ridgewood, The Ridge wood Arts Foundation, The Art Center in New Milford, the Clifton Art Center, CAA in Allendale, and libraries in Glen Rock, Washington Township, Hawthorne; Suffern, New York and the Pomona Art Center in New York. In Ocean County, Mary showed at Pine Shores in Manahawkin and librar ies in Manahawkin, Waretown, Bar negat, Forked River, Long Beach Island and Middletown. She gets supplies on line and from Blick Art Supplies in Para mus. One thing that has changed over

Primroses, watercolor crystals.

their grandchildren consistently prefer to use markers. She has recently been expressing her self mostly by using watercolors. “I have to stop doing new mediums,” Mary says,

papers and supplies such as small vials of watercolor crystals that are topped with colored push pins. The pins indi cate the true color of the crystals because the dry powder changes color when wet. She shows the effect of watercolor crys tals in paintings where they made small, splayed dots of pure color. Lifting light weight aluminum pizza pie rounds, she shows her alcohol ink works, which must be created carefully. She protects herself from the alcohol fumes by wearing a res pirator mask and works where there is plenty of ventilation. Her gear includes an air compressor to help move the inks around. Other tech niques include adding a gritty texture to a work or using a stencil for a color resist. Although their townhouse brims with her works, they also reside with collectors in 24 states and 5 other countries. This spring, she has been invited to do an exhibit at the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood. Just as the townhouse holds her work space and artwork, her elementary class rooms always had an art center. When she taught the children’s art classes at Pine Shores, she would have them copy a different master at each of the classes. Despite a variety of options, she finds

the years is the rising cost of art supplies— paper, brushes, paints and art class fees. Another change is Mary’s and Lou’s ever-growing “Used to Do” list. They do fewer hobbies now, due to Lou’s medical challenges. When they lived in Ware

referring to her prolif erating supplies. She is trying to develop a looser style with wa tercolors. She is ac tive with the Tuesday Painters group in Allendale, and the CAA (Community Art Association), which meets monthly and hears speakers from

Shadows in Montmartre, watercolor crystals.

town, they would bicycle ride to Bar negat Bay for a bagel breakfast. Mary still enjoys golfing at Paramus Golf Course, taking exercise classes at the Y in Wyck off and walking. They “used to” play ten nis, bike and play golf together. Lou’s passion project was to write an action-adventure screenplay, set at Gal eries Lafayette in Paris, about two vaca tioning couples. He follows media award ceremonies, so they watch a lot of movies in order to be prepared to watch the red carpet affairs. They have participated in

places such as Canada and around the United States. She is studying watercol ors weekly with Christine Friedman at the Art Center of Northern New Jersey in New Milford. “I have been in art shows for over 16 years in both Ocean and Bergen Coun ties,“ Mary says. She points out the hurdles involved with doing exhibits. “Transporting works can be a challenge. The ‘business of art’ is more than people realize,” she says. She tracks prices and where her art has been exhibited so that

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SPRING 2024 I AUTUMN YEARS