Artists
Mary Carter
Mary Carter
Since 1968, (with just 4 exceptions) she has had her work accepted annually for the Royal Academy Summer Show. Mary also regularly exhibits at The R.W.A. with Richard Hagan in the Cotswolds and with Llewellyn Alexander in London.
In 1978 she was awarded the Friends Miniature Prize at the R.A.
In 2007 she received the Hagan Prize from the New English Art Club.
She has work in public and private collections worldwide.
Mary Carter’s work may be described as intimate both in terms of its scale and subject matter. At the heart of her painting is her fascination with faces, head and shoulder portraits or full figures are found seated or in a restful pose. They are the focus of the image; usually with little else to distract attention we immediately engage with the subject and are encouraged to enter the moment of stillness and sometimes contemplation. Also evident in Mary’s work is her enjoyment of painting fabrics and patterns; beautiful materials, lace, embroidery and satin are worn by the subjects or furnish the interiors where they reside, their textures and reflective qualities expertly conveyed.
Being so small and detailed her work could appear "tight" but these small compositions are in fact painted quite freely with the paint applied either thickly or with transparent glazes. Colour may be rich and glowing or cooler and more muted to suit the atmosphere and light of her subject. These intense, small works reveal a sensitive understanding of her medium and subject and are jewels of painting to be enjoyed time and again.
Exhibition: Close to Home 4 - 25 September 2010
