Mary Ann Pope Alabama

Cooper Union, New York, NY

Art Center - University of Louisville, Louisville, KY

My paintings in oil, acrylic and watercolor are mostly of the landscape. Although the paintings are considered to be “realistic”, they are made up of clearly delineated areas of color…not realistic color, but color which has been idealized or intensified to deliver the greatest impact and authority for the painting. I was once told they are “contemporary impressionism”.

I began painting areas in the ring of mountains around the city I live in, but am travelling more and more, mostly throughout the south, to paint the most elemental, striking views I can find. There is a lot to choose from, but some of it is disappearing to development which gives more urgency to my search.

Landscape strikes a primordial chord in us all and is universal in its appeal. Landscape is about light, which is constantly changing, shadow and color, and though I have been painting landscapes for years, I find the subject to be endlessly fascinating..

Although there is a vast difference between the two techniques, I am equally interested in painting oils and watercolors. Lately, I have done quite large watercolors. The oils are usually produced in diptychs and sometimes triptychs. The larger sizes appeal to me and lend themselves well to landscape subjects.