Featured Artist Mary Watkins

Artist Mary Watkins shares a portfolio of luminous, layered oil paintings that capture fleeting moments of light and feeling. Visit her website to see more of her work.

 

 

My name is Mary Watkins, and I work with oils to create my paintings. I fell in love with painting after studying theatre and costume in college, where I learned to think about storytelling, emotion, and atmosphere. After graduating, I discovered painting to be a more personal and introspective way to tell stories. It allowed me to slow down and discover who I am and what I have to offer.

 

 

In my studio, I usually begin with a small sketch of an idea and use washes of oil and gamsol with brushes and rags to paint and carve out shapes, highlights, and shadows on the canvas. I work in layers, building up to the final image and allowing the ideas to shift and change as the painting progresses.

 

 

I’ve found that if I allow myself to be married to one idea, I often get stuck and am unable to move forward. When I intuitively allow a painting to unfold, I move forward more easily, enjoy the process, and find myself surprised by the outcome.

 

 

My background in stage and costume design continues to strongly influence my work, particularly in my use of light, color, and mood. For as long as I can remember, I have been captivated by light—its physical presence, its warmth, and the way it quietly shapes how we perceive the world around us.

 

 

Light has a way of transforming even the most ordinary moments. I’m drawn to how fleeting it is. In my paintings, I explore the ephemerality of light and how it mirrors life itself: momentary, constantly shifting, and never permanent.

 

 

I am often inspired by poetry, song lyrics, or thoughts that surface while journaling. These fragments, lines, emotions, or realizations often become the starting point for a painting. I draw heavily on my own experiences of life and faith to create an otherworldly window into who I am and the places I feel my soul dwells.

 

 

When I create, I often think about the things that I experience, vulnerability, loneliness, and the search for hope and meaning. Feelings of being small, but loved, lonely but held. My work reflects my personal journey of faith. I wrestle with doubt, worth, and belonging, and while deeply personal, I believe these are universal feelings we all share.

 

 

I hope my paintings are not just personal to me, but that they spark curiosity in others to look inside and discover beauty within themselves. Perhaps they will even see their own stories reflected back at them.

 

Mary Watkins invites you to follow on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. 

 

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