Mary Gregory, Virginia Beach, VA

marygregoryfineart.com

Looking back in my life there can be found threads of beginnings .  Like drawing which was always a huge passion from an early age.  I received formal training in drawing and design from Tidewater Community College but have relied on a natural ability  and passion for  learning and constant study  to create my  art.

Another thread was growing up in small towns near the farms and fields and coastlines of North Carolina. On trips back  I was drawn to the countryside with its farms and cotton fields and the scenes  began to inspire me to stop and paint.  And so began the experience of outdoor painting ,en plein air, in 2003. Being out in  the landscape inspires me and  provides an observation of nature  I feel cannot be gained any other way.

“ The heavens declare the glory of God , the skies proclaim  the work of his hands” Psalm 19

When I see a beautiful piece of art it connects me to beauty through the same principles on which the world was created with harmony  and design and complexity. No one can say it as well as He does or with such amazing variety or complexity or beauty but I am grateful for the gift He has given me to be able to create pictures to awaken the soul to glimpse the beauty around us, perhaps refresh or delight , if only for a moment.