MARY ANN ANDERSON
BIO
I Am Quixote and Your Mirror Image
Year: 2009
Mixed (acrylic and graphite on synthetic paper)
Dimensions: 40" x 27"
We are all Quixote when we strive for good. “I am Quixote…” appears to be a portrait of someone who is looking directly at the viewer, or possibly a mirror that reflects the viewer’s image. My art incorporates elements of Asian art and contemporary conceptual art. This piece is made with acrylic paint and graphite on synthetic paper.
My paintings are informed by philosophy and art, especially:
– Chinese and Japanese art – transcending time and space;
– Kandinsky’s conceptual premise that painting and music lead us to a higher level of consciousness that needs no words or story;
– American abstract expressionist art, conceptual art and the music of Stravinsky which document that the human experience was profoundly altered at the dawn of the 20th century.
I continue to explore themes and techniques I have used in paintings, printmaking and ceramic sculptures over the past 26 years of art making.
"I am Quixote" was made using graphite, acrylic varnish and acrylic paint on synthetic paper (Yupo). The texture is created by the acrylic paint puddling and creating a variety of effects on the paper. The space in the picture plane is ambiguous.
The forms in shades of black, white and gray are made by rubbing a stick of graphite on paper with printing plates underneath. The surface is then permanently sealed with acrylic varnish which blurs the graphite slightly, creating a patina-like quality.
BIO
Mary Ann Anderson exhibited extensively at community galleries in Illinois for 20 years before moving to Chapel Hill, NC in 2008. She has presented solo exhibitions at Duke University, the Durham Art Guild and GoldenBelt in Durham; at The ArtsCenter in Carrboro, NC; and at Artspace, Visual Art Exchange (VAE) and HagerSmith Design in Raleigh. Her painting and printmaking were non-representational until 2007, when she began exploring a variety of biomorphic forms which echo her earlier ceramic sculptures. Her art studies from 1996-2007 included painting, printmaking, ceramic and other classes at Ox-Bow, a program of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). From 2003 – 2008 she studied with SAIC faculty member, Preston Jackson. Her most recent study was with Clarence Morgan (University of Minnesota faculty) in 2011 and 2014 at Penland School of Craft in North Carolina. Her university course work included classes in art history and philosophy. She has broadened her knowledge of art by visiting many museums in the US, Ireland, France, Italy, China and Japan. Her academic background includes a bachelor's degree from Knox College and master's degree from the University of Illinois at Springfield.