![MaryEllen Hackett](https://d1zdxptf8tk3f9.cloudfront.net/artist_62326/info/medium/ME_Trees.jpg?1650974092)
MaryEllen Hackett
Inverness, CA
Observational painter and diligent note taker. This collection is from Germany, Austria, Hungary, and The Netherlands. Some USA work also included.
MessageMaryEllen Hackett received a B.F.A. in painting and printmaking from Adelphi University in NY. She is a diligent note taker of the waypoints of her life, documenting where she lives and works as observational paintings and sketches. 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. In 2019, was included in the She Explores book, written by Gale Straub and published by Chronicle Books. In 2023 she was in a 2-person show, “On Common Ground,” at the Ansel Adams Gallery. She is a curated member of the Point Reyes Open Studios and is a signature member of the Cowgirl Artists of America. You can find her artwork featuring Yosemite and the greater Sierra Nevada at the Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite National Park.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. As my passion for the natural world grew, so too did my understanding of the importance of treading lightly in it. As a collection, my works have become a map of the places pertinent to my story.
I begin with observational paintings and drawings. My education about image composition 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 predominantly use 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 pieces. 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.
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.