Exuberant Nature-Inspired Paintings

Mary Chaplin, mary-chaplin.com/painter, grew up in Picardy, in the Bay de Somme, well known for its amazing light, where she still lives and works, near Amiens, North of Paris. Her ebullient nature-inspired paintings are nestled between reality and dreams, and combine elements of impressionism and abstraction. They resonate with the animated gestural strokes of Claude Monet and Joan Mitchell and reflect the lyricism of Alfred Manessier. Her art delivers an eternal summer through the artist’s own poetic, dynamic and bold style and can be found in many private collections worldwide.

Banner image: Detail of The Garden of Illusions, diptych, oil on canvas, 63″ x 39.37″

Field of Dreams, acrylic on canvas, 39.37″ x 39.37″

In the early stages of her career Mary acquired skills using many different techniques in pastels, acrylic and oil as she painted local scenes. In 2005 her artistic path was transformed when sitting in a small chapel in the picturesque village of Bois de Cise and watched the light patterns through the stained glass windows moving slowly over the old flag-stone floor.

The artist explains, “This event happened when my dad was fighting a life-threatening disease. I saw the light like a way of escaping from sad reality and I had to try to capture this beautiful light, colors and movement.” She named the resulting abstract works “Reflections” (in French “Meditations”). This series of paintings were created influenced by the harmony of light, color and textures from the chapel.

The Lovers Garden, diptych, acrylic on canvas, 63″ x 31.5′

For Mary the garden is a passion for her. “Creating it, observing it and taking care of it gives me immense pleasure.” She feels compelled to express her love of flowers and other forms of nature. She describes her art and what she aims to capture: “Fleeting moments captured in the instant, free and energetic brushstrokes, vivid colors, the wind blowing through the flowers, the storm brewing in the distance, the morning sun shining through the mist… life, joy and ever changing living beauty…”

She shares her favorite quote by Michel de Montaigne: “If life is nothing more than a passage, let’s at least sow flowers along it”.

An Extraordinary Garden, acrylic on canvas, 39.37″ x 39.37″

Mary has received many accolades including an invitation to be the guest of honor in Criel sur Méru (France) for the festival of impressionism in Normandy. She is the recipient of an Award of Excellence in the Manhattan Arts International “New Beginnings” exhibition and won the first prize in the Gallery Blanche’s competition in the artist Bonnard’s house (On the Seine near Paris). She has often been invited to be the featured artist in European Galleries during her career and has had paintings selected for the Spring Beijing spring art exhibition.

Mary was also invited by the town of Méru as the guest of honor for this exhibition titled ‘Pirates’. In this exceptional exhibition she will present a series depicting waves, which is part of her figurative work on the theme of water. 

A Garden We Used To Know, diptych, acrylic on canvas, 53.54″ x 31.5″

Upon the invitation of the Somme department, a retrospective of her 15 years of abstraction including more than 80 works was scheduled to take place at the Abbey of St. Riquier Hauts de France in May, 2021.

Twice her art has been on the cover of French National Art Magazine “Artists” and she has appeared on television broadcasts. 

Mary’s art has been featured in several of our online exhibitions including “HerStory” 2024, “The Healing Power of Color” 2024, “Our Bond With Nature”, “Spring”, among others.

The Season of Agapanthus, oil on canvas, 39.37″ x 39.37″

When writing about Mary’s art Anaïs Laurent, former gallery director states, ”It is almost possible to smell the delicate perfume of the earth’s energy liberated from the flowers by the summer’s warmth. The artist has served as a vector, a conduit capable of capturing impressions of a moment in time that shall never be seen or felt the same way again”.

Mary has been a professional artist for more than 20 years and shares, “I travel along meandering paths ranging from figurative to non-figurative depending on my mood, I’m not trying to follow a trend, I express my emotions, I listen to my heart and that freedom is the primary meaning for a professional artist as I am.”

Visit Mary Chaplin’s website: mary-chaplin.com/painter

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