Musician’s Portraits in Pastels

Pastels are a “dry”, stick like medium similar to chalk or charcol, that contain color pigments in a binder. They lend themselves to drawings, but if the entire page is covered with color the result could be considered a painting.

Mary’s style of pastels uses a darker background, and is soft and suggestive with outlines of the subject’s characteristics. This seems to be a consistent pattern. One would wonder what she found engaging about these darker backgrounds. Her pastel paintings communicate either a certain beautiful intensity or joy in each musician.

She mostly preferred to paint a subject’s likeness after they passed away. When a friend suggested she paint Prince, Mary said, “but he is not dead yet”! – once he passed on, Mary immediately got to work on her portrait of him. She was always on the lookout for a photo she thought reflected her subject’s personality. Sometimes she would blend two or more photos as inspiration for her work.

Of note, She sometimes used unusual medium – makeup, crayons, chalk, etc. She mostly worked in Pastels and Oils, but whatever the medium, the resulting art was delightful.

She held a deep passion for the origins of Jazz, Blues and Rock music. Something in this raw, roots sound drew her and provided inspiration to not only play and sing but also to paint. Much of her original music described human hardship, and knowing what it was like to be down and out – she was no stranger to adversity. But she was also an optimist, always finding a ray of hope and expressing that hope out in the world. She gravitated towards and had a deep love for other musicians who authentically expressed these feelings.

Mary chose to paint many of our dearly beloved musical icons in their element, while they were performing. She said of herself – “I love people and I love faces”, and her heart and humanity still shine through every portrait. She had an astounding gift of expressing a person's visual essence. Her series of musicians is a testament to both their contribution to our collective musical heritage and to her talent in capturing their souls on canvas.