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 The magic of Mary Dolph Wood's paintings lies in the depths of their shadows. Dusky and inviting, these backgrounds glow with possibility. The exuberant cascades of brush work magnify the warm, fragrant mystery of the forms beneath.
Mary's paintings are in collections throughout the United States, including the permanent collection of the Van Vechten-Lineberry Taos Art Museum. They are inspired by the colorful life around Mary's home and studio in Taos, New Mexico, the fabled art colony where she has lived for almost thirty years. Occasionally, she travels and paints on location, capturing a picturesqueseashore or a small fishing village in her signature style, but the everyday surroundingsafford a lifetime of subject matter.
This artist comes from a family that values creative work. Among her ancestors is the noted painter George Catlin (1796-1872), who traveled the American West and made visual records of the Indian tribes and their cultures before they were changed by the arrival of European traditions. Catlin's quaint, formal portraits are from a time deep in history, yet there is the strong art spirit which connects these two distant relatives in their life's work.
Mary is best known for her glorious still life paintings. Her subjects rage from large bouquets of brilliant flowers to modest arrangements of pears and onions. She delights in the natural forms of petals and leaves and fruit, and especially portrays the beauty and novelty of rich and colorful compositions. Mary Dolph Wood is an artist who plunges into her work with gusto and passion. What emerges on her canvases is an image with a life of its own that speaks directly to the viewer's senses and soul.
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