BIO
Mary McCoy is an abstract painter who creates pieces inspired by the natural and built environments she finds herself in using a palette that ranges from bright colors to earthy tones. Her approach to painting is quite somatic. After studying the world around her, McCoy intuitively and rhythmically moves her body to realize a piece. Resisting the common conventions tied to traditional oil painting, McCoy has no strict calculus or formula to mix colors or create a composition but instead allows the time she would spend making a precise plan, to embrace an intuitive physical flow. All of her paintings capture her appreciation of chance and randomness and include details that signal when McCoy has decided to either restrain or extend gestures.
Mary McCoy is an abstract and figurative painter who works in multiple mediums, including oil, acrylic, and watercolor. Using a wide palette that ranges from bright colors to earthy tones, McCoy creates pieces inspired by the natural and built environments she finds herself in. After receiving her BFA from the University of Kansas and completing international studies at the Florence University of the Arts, McCoy works as a full-time artist in Wichita, Kansas. Her approach to painting is quite somatic. After studying the world around her, McCoy intuitively and rhythmically moves her body to realize a piece. By fluidly layering paint on canvases, McCoy relinquishes total control over her creations. All of her paintings capture her appreciation of chance and randomness and include details that signal when McCoy has decided to either restrain or extend gestures. McCoy’s works have been purchased by private collectors based across the United States and are part of the permanent collection at the Chateau d’Orquevaux Gallery in France. McCoy works as a full time artist in her studio in Wichita Kansas. She holds solo shoes in her area and other parts of the US while running online social media accounts to spread her work. She recently opened her studio up for workshops based on sharing her intuitive process to those looking to reintroduce creativity to their lives.
STATEMENT
In the last few years, the main focus of my work has been creating abstract oil paintings and more recently my pieces contain representative objects and figures within the compositions. Although the subject matter makes changes along the way, my original abstract style is always present in the work.
Oil paint provides a variety of possibilities through texture and color that inspire my process. Resisting the common conventions tied to traditional oil painting, there is no strict calculus or formula to mix my colors or create a composition. Instead I allow the time I would spend making a precise plan, to embrace an intuitive physical flow. My palette remains raw and ever-evolving. My compositions grow through fluidly layering paint on the canvases. When creating a piece, I share control with the medium allowing it’s power of chance and randomness to guide me to the completed work.
