MaryEllen Hackett
Inverness, CA
Observational painter and diligent note taker. This collection is from Germany, Austria, Hungary, and The Netherlands.
MessageMaryEllen Hackett has a B.F.A. in painting and printmaking from Adelphi University in NY. Hackett has received artist in residence positions at Weir Farm National Historic Site, Fire Island National Seashore, Joshua Tree National Park, the Vermont Studio Center, and a work/study at the Center for Book Arts in NYC. She has been interviewed for Adventure Journal, Howl Often, and in 2019 was included in the book She Explores, by Gale Straub and published by Chronicle. In the 2020 her paintings were exhibited at the Nassau County Museum Of Art in NY. In 2023 she had a two-person show at the Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite, CA. Currently she lives and works between the Mountains and Coast of California.
Statement
I was raised to be a beach comber, a collector of pebbles and shells. My paintings evolved from a desire to collect the landscape itself, while also becoming more conscious of treading lightly in it. As a collection they have become a map of my life, the kind that only shows the places pertinent to the story.
I begin with observational paintings and drawings. My education encouraged editing for the sake of emphasis, so while my paintings are based in life, they are not meant to be a photo of it. The scale is intimate- most days my paintings travel tucked into the pages of the notebook in my pack. I paint using predominantly gouache and watercolor. The opaque gouache allows me to bring structure to both sticks and shadows. I do not take for granted that the “timeless” places I often paint are also time stamped. A single fire, storm, or experience in these places could change my future view of it.
When working in the studio, I use my plein air work as the references for new and “larger”* work. This allows me to focus more on the paintings without comparison to the landscapes that inspired them. I recently returned to oil paintings on wood panels using this process. I use a small amount of cold wax medium to turn down the gloss of the oil paint, further connecting the oil paintings to the style of the gouache paintings they are referencing.
*Larger is relative. Most of my observational work averages around 4.5x5.5.”
Please message me to be added to my mailing list for early original collection availability. Follow me on Instagram @HereAndFarther. All images copyright 2024 by MaryEllen Hackett.