mary
newham

ABOUT MARY:

Dressage Horse in Half Pass, Mary Newham 2019 40x50cm.jpg

Mary is a long time resident of the Yarra Valley and her work is largely a celebration of that beautiful setting. Her preferred way of working is “en plein air” with her canvas, easel and oil paints set up outside whereupon she strives to capture the essence and atmosphere of the scene before her in a realistic and painterly style. The effects of the seasons, weather and light are of particular interest.

Mary is frequently commissioned to paint landscapes and she values the opportunities she has had to paint on many beautiful properties in the area. She also works on commissions of horses and other animals, or on places only able to be accessed through photographic reference. Her own watercolour diaries from her travels are both a great pictorial record and a source of inspiration for further artwork.

Mary also works with other media such as pastel and ink equestrian studies. Portraits, acrylic landscapes and collage are also explored. She aims to create artwork that captures the essential nature of the subject, while still being very accessible to the viewing public.

Mary has a mudbrick studio in a lovely rural setting in Gruyere and since retiring from secondary art teaching has greatly enjoyed establishing her studio practice and fully engaging with the Yarra Valley Arts network, their Open Studios program and exhibiting in local gallery and cafe spaces.

Mary is a regular participant of Yarra Valley Open Studios.

Medium: painter, collage
Tags: oil, acrylic, pastel, watercolour, ink, equestrian, portraits, impressionist, realistic, landscape commissions, animal portraits