Mary MacCarthy
Mary’s work is influenced by Matisse, Bonnard, Cedric Morris and Richard Deibenkorn, amongst many others but her main inspiration comes from her garden: growing flowers and veg to paint, pots and pans, tabletops. Mary also loves the colours of the country, and textiles from around the world, and ceramics.
Mary paints primarily in oils and likes to draw in sketchbooks, particularly when travelling. She also likes the fluidity and freeness of charcoal and pastel, especially at life drawing and will occassionally use acrylic.
Her studio is a small barn with lovely North light but very cold in the winter. Needing to go outside to get to her studio, even though the barn is attached to the house, feels Iike going to work!
Mary is currently working on a landscape of the Norfolk coast, which is a commission, and also decorative panels for a newly restored Norfolk farmhouse. Although she likes to push her work in other directions she is always drawn back to still lives of flowers and vegetables in season - an irresistible subject!
Having trained in printed textile design and painting at Camberwell School of Art & Design Mary became a freelance decorative painter using stencils, working for clients in England, Spain and USA.
Mary has written three books on design and pattern.