W A T E R C O L O R Sof
People Pets and Places You Love
I taught myself to draw as school years were spent drawing classmates and landscapes in the margins of my notebook paper. Accumulated sketches comprised "books" as I discovered ways to create three dimensions on a two-dimensional surface. Life made more sense creating art, and painting with watercolors became my passion.
Instructors at the Art Academy in San Francisco refused to believe I was self-taught which served to fuel creativity and resoluteness to paint. Andrew Wyeth and J. S. Sargent’s watercolors were my inspiration. And, like them, familiar people, pets, and places were my favorite subjects when realism in art was passe. When George Mason University had a wonderful fine arts department, I achieved requirements for my BA degree. I paint what I learned from these and other distinguished artists and through much painting.
Many art awards are from the Watercolor Society of North Carolina (WSNC) and from eastern North Carolina art shows and competitions. My work has been exhibited in leading art galleries across the state and is well-known on the Outer Banks. My Nags Head Pier series is among my award-winning paintings of familiar, beloved historic places on the Outer Banks. I am a signature member of WSNC and served on the Board of Directors as Eastern Region Director. I’ve been the featured artist in publications, and my work has been honored for book cover illustrations. I have judged art competitions, juried exhibitions, and I'm a member of the Dare County Arts Council where I have taught classes and workshops.
Life still makes more sense when I create art. In a near-death experience forty-four years ago, I had a close encounter of the God-kind when I met Jesus in a very dramatic way. My life and art were radically transformed so that now I paint in thanks to Him for His gift of new life to me.
You may find my work in leading galleries and art shows not only on the Outer Banks and northeast North Carolina, but also in public buildings and private homes throughout the United States.
Thank you for visiting Mary Edwards Watercolors.