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Escaping Through Painting

by Mary Garthwaite

Mary Garthwaite is a retired Consultant Urological Surgeon who worked at James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough

This is Mary's second portfolio in the Members' Art Gallery and continues the story of her artistic development since she published her first collection of Seven Portraits and a Still Life in 2019. Once again, portraits are to the fore, but on this occasion she has progressed a particular interest (and talent) in painting rural landscapes. (Ed.)


Bill: oil & acrylic on canvas ... view full-screen version

... In the world of portraiture it seems that smiles are often frowned upon, but this may just be because teeth are seen as challenging to paint by a lot of artists. However, if your subject is a naturally jovial person then you must portray them truthfully in order to capture their personality ...



© MARY GARTHWAITE 2021 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

 


Rankin: acrylic on canvas ... view full-screen version

... During the first lockdown Sky Arts started streaming live portrait sessions, via Facebook, every Sunday morning.  Each week, a person in the public eye would sit for the world to paint their portrait. The recording was then available to view for the rest of the week so that you could finish your portraits without time constraint. Portrait Artist of the Week became a release from the reality of the pandemic for thousands of people around the globe and was repeated in the second lockdown. The episodes are now available to watch and join in with again on the Sky.com website. I joined in with a few 'live' and intend to have a go at more ...



© MARY GARTHWAITE 2021 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

 


Will: acrylic on board ... view full-screen version

... another Portrait Artist of the Week session ...



© MARY GARTHWAITE 2021 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

 


Leafie: acrylic on canvas ... view full-screen version

... this was the first animal portrait I painted. We lost Leafie last September, having had her for nearly four years. She was already an old dog by the time the Dog's Trust had rescued her from an open yard where she had been abandoned, along with several others, some of whom where her offspring. She was emaciated and near to death at that time and her recovery was slow. It became evident that at some point in her early life she had been a treasured pet and had probably been stolen to breed from. Despite the cruelty she had suffered at the hands of humans, she was the friendliest and gentlest of dogs and is sorely missed. Although she was a dog that had been rescued she actually rescued us during some challenging times ...



© MARY GARTHWAITE 2021 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

 


Starling: iridescent acrylic on canvas ... view full-screen version

... I was given some iridescent paints as a present and wasn't sure what I would use them for until we were sent a beautiful photo of a starling by Ken Rutherford. Soon after the painting was finished, a Starling fell down our chimney and had to be rescued from the stove. The painting now hangs in that room ...



© MARY GARTHWAITE 2021 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

 


Filou: acrylic on canvas board ... view full-screen version

... On a holiday in France a few years ago, we were eating lunch in a beautiful restaurant called Le Sens de la Terre, in Piégut-Pluviers, when I spied their dog 'Filou' intently watching a local finish his lunch. The colours of the scene were so striking that I took a photo. Having painted this last year, I was hoping that one day I would be able to give it to the owners in person, but the pandemic intervened. I'm not one for putting things off any more, so I sent it in the post instead. It now features inside the cover of one of their recipe books ... ! 



© MARY GARTHWAITE 2021 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

 


Rosedale: acrylic on board ... view full-screen version

... I've started to experiment with styles of landscape painting. I seem naturally to prefer a loose, almost abstract style. It's something I want to do more of and actually try painting 'plein air' this year ... 



© MARY GARTHWAITE 2021 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

 


River Esk: acrylic on board ... view full-screen version

... this was a slightly different style of landscape, with the intention of capturing the movement of water ...



© MARY GARTHWAITE 2021 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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