Here you will read my art notes where I share latest paintings and musings. I welcome your comments. Published Mondays by 7 pm (Mountain Std Time), typically at 5:30 pm MST. Send Mail
The Lantern Bearer 60" x 60" x 0" Acrylic on Canvas View/Purchase
A bold statement piece, this original large format 60" x 60" x 0" abstract painting, will command attention and start conversations. It will be best placed in an active room, such as a living room or entertainment space.
It reminded me of Maxfield Parrish's painting, The Lantern Bearers. Since there is only one figure in this painting, I titled it a single lantern bearer.
An abstract painting with a mind of its own. I began on the floor and quickly put it on the wall to paint. The yellow parts are what I painted on the floor. They dictated how the painting would take shape.
Comes shipped rolled.
I Want to Hear from You
I welcome your comments on this painting. What does it invoke in you? What memories come alive for you?
Details
Me with the painting for scale
The End, Thank you for your presence and conversation.
Check out my new unisex and women's artsy clothing. I've design all kinds of wearables from tops to dresses, a jacket, and a pair of pants. Let me know what you want! And let me know what your think of the new pieces.
They are all designed from my original paintings. The images up top show you the designs.
The Mountains are Silent as the Wind Howls The finished piece, revisited in 2025. 42 x 59.5 inches Acrylic on Canvas Purchase Information Link
The Mountains are Silent as the Wind Howls
The piece, as created originally in 2021.
My painting experience while painting the piece above depicts what feels common to today's current events. Chaos all around me. The wind is blustering my canvas, moving my supplies, tossing the pieces of wood I had stacked on the canvas edges. I reckon with it, giving my greatest retort and my warmest sweet talk. Nothing would be heard by the wind that day. It was all powerful. But, the strength of the mountains is silent; they are unshakable by anything the wind can blow their way. They are unmoved by anything I say to them like, "and you're just going to stand there with nothing to say while I'm getting tossed around here"? Ha! The mountains are silent as the wind howls, waiting for me to settle down and begin painting.
I was excited to get outside to the land to paint. My painting location was the old abandoned salt mine with a beloved view.
Mother Nature doesn’t comply with my wishes for a peaceful time. On this day, no amount of declaration, soothsaying, or bargaining worked. The mountains stood there in silence, expecting me to begin. The painting session was exhilarating, with billowing plastic and flying canvas edges. Giggles ensued while playing with the elements at work. Dust, dirt, weed particles, and salt become part of this painting.
The 60 x 60-inch unstretched canvas is an enormous size for a Plein air painting. I laid it on the ground to work. There were old timbers and pieces of wood lying around, so I grabbed them to secure the corners. I placed it on a hill so the angle would tilt. It was a next-to-impossible task to paint that day as the wind howled, scoffing at me as I worked to secure the painting. I figured out the general layout, and the desired composition of the land, painting as best I could.
Mary Rush with her painting in process. The Mountains are Silent as the Wind Howls
I’ve been Plein air painting for years. The new way of painting Plein air began about five paintings ago. Now, besides the small-size stretched canvas, I work on large-size flat raw canvas, either placed on the floor or on the land instead of working on an easel.
There are places on this painting, which to me, depict ancient Native American stories. These came forth during the painting process, much to my surprise. The old salt mine served as a ritual site for Hopi Native Americans before people developed it into a mining operation. Please take time to tune into the energy of this painting. It will be satisfying.
I painted this piece four years ago, leaving the painting in its raw state. I revisited it to refine it from that first visit to the land.
I’m told my Plein air paintings capture the spirit of the location. I believe I captured the experience of being there with the fierce wind howling and blowing my canvas all over the place. It was an untamable moment. My artwork depicts the vibrant, untamed spirit hidden within the tranquil mountain landscape, a place whispering ancient stories.
Painting on location.
What do you think of this painting? Do you see any tales from the distant past expressed on this painting?
My latest painting was a fun exploration of warm colors moving across the paper. The colors are delightful. Embellishing with gold added the final touches.
Me, Mary Rush, yesterday at the Saturday Art Market event.
Yesterday, I exhibited my art during the Saturday Art Market in Camp Verde, Arizona. It's a weekly event that I created for our local artists group, Camp Verde Artists Group.
Traffic was slow but I was delighted that I sold one of my newly hand-painted notecards.
If you're in Camp Verde, please stop by and visit us between 10: 00 AM and 2:00 PM, the lobby at Wingfield Plaza, 564 S. Main Street, Camp Verde, AZ 86332.
More photos of what I exhibited.
5 x 7 inch paintings by Mary Rush
Hand painted, handmade lights by Mary Rush
Notecards both printed and hand painted, and mini original paintings.
Original paintings by Mary Rush All are 11 x 14 inches Oil on Canvas
Color Colossal Collage - Acrylic and Paper on Paper
22 x 14 inches
I just finished this painting today that I've worked on for weeks. It's a large collage painting using a new collage technique I discovered one day while experimenting. I've done smaller 8.5 x 11 inch collages and wanted to try a larger size. I did a previous larger one and it is quite different than the small ones. The larger size is more challenging. I'm happy with the way this one turned out. I never think I'll be successful at pulling all the pieces together into one cohesive whole. Somehow I manage to do it.
The colors are different with purple, orange, and bright green with yellow accents. The shapes look like vases or vessels. But, overall when I look at it, I see color as the main element so I called it Color Colossal thinking of it as big color. What would you title it?
What it might look like framed.
Color Colossal Collage - Acrylic and Paper on Paper
Paintings by Mary Rush Artist Now Showing at Sedona Center for Harmony & Enrichment 431 AZ-179 Suite A6, Sedona, AZ 86336
Beginning July 1, 2024, a selection of my small landscape paintings are showing at the Sedona Center for Harmony & Enrichment. The center is in the HOZHO building at 431 AZ-179 Suite A6, Sedona, AZ 86336. Three 11 x 14 and six 5 x 7 paintings are on exhibition.
I attended the First Friday Sedona Art Walk event at the Sedona Center for Harmony & Enrichment this past Friday, July 5. It was a fun event where I met some other exhibiting artists. It was the first time I was an exhibiting artist, so I didn’t venture to any other galleries.
You can read more about the Sedona First Friday Art Walks via these links.
I hope you can visit my art soon at the Sedona Center for Harmony & Enrichment. You may purchase the paintings now showing there from the gallery when you visit by following the links provided above.
Let me hear from you!
I'd love to hear from you. What are your thoughts on this article? Which painting is your favorite?
One thing I love to do, besides painting, is to cook, concoct, and fine-tune recipes to my liking. I find this fun, and it exercises my creativity differently. Today, I share my scone recipe with you. It’s easy to make. It’s agreeable to substitutions. I rarely have every ingredient for any recipe, so 99% of the time, I substitute what I have available. Also, I eat a vegan diet, substituting vegan ingredients when the recipe is not vegan. I have presented my latest scone, triple berry, in one of my favorite handmade ceramic saucers I hand-built years ago. I’ve marked it with my personalized “Mary” stamp to distinguish it from other student potters.
Rye Wholemeal Scones
7/8 C flour of your choice *
5 tsp Baking Powder *
3 Tbsp Brown Sugar *
3 Tbsp Oil *
5/8 C Milk *
1. Mix the dry ingredients and add the wet until it forms a dough ball.
2. Turn the dough ball onto a pan with floured parchment paper.
3. Press the dough ball until you get about a 1-1/4 inch in height disc.
4. Cut the disc into 3 or 4 slices.
5. Bake at 425 degrees for 15-18 minutes.
6. Cool slightly. Enjoy with jam, pure maple syrup, or glazed icing.
* Notes
Flour
- I rarely use Rye flour, as you’ll see on the back of the recipe. But rye scones are yummy, too. I’ve gone gluten-free; rye is not gluten-free.
- I like gluten-free (GF) oat flour. I also mix the GF oat flour with brown rice flour, quick-cook GF oats, and/or millet flour. Lately, I’ve used all three in one mix.
Baking Powder
- I use 4 tsp instead of 5 tsp or 1/2 tsp baking soda
Oil
- I use coconut oil. Sometimes, I use olive oil. But lately, I’m going oil free, so I use 3 Tbsp of almond flour as a substitute. You could also try applesauce or mashed banana.
Brown Sugar
- My favorite healthier sugar option is coconut sugar. Sometimes, I use turbinado sugar (raw sugar). Regular sugar is not vegan. To qualify as vegan, the sugar needs to be organic or raw. Coconut sugar and other fruit sugars are vegan.
Milk
- I use almond, cashew, or coconut milk. Or I add 2-3 Tbsp extra almond flour and use water instead of milk. The almond flour serves as an almond milk base in the water.
I want to hear from you!
Let me know what you think in the comments below!
Recipes
I've included the back of my recipe page where I make notes of my substitutions and versions of the recipe. Most times, I comment whether it worked or not. The clay heart was made by a friend.
The abstract background of red, yellow, bronze, and gold shows through the landscape with boldness and passion.
I painted plein air at the abandoned salt mine in Camp Verde, Arizona. I left my paintbrushes at home. So, I added the paint directly from the tube onto the canvas, providing a highly saturated color and thick texture.
I worked quickly to capture the essence of the energy of the place. The passion of the working salt mine from years prior came through in the process. The salt mine was also a ritual site for local Hopi Indians. I'm sure that energy is here too.
A land formation at the salt mine conjures my imagination of being an enormously large chair where God sits. I always feel I am at God’s feet when I encounter it. He sits on his throne and watches over me as I hike and paint.
It’s always a thrill to hit the hiking trail with paints and an easel over my shoulder. As much as I love painting abstract, I love being in nature too. The new process marries both the abstract and the landscape. I have the best of both worlds now. It feels great.
The white, beige, metallic gold, and metallic silver color palette is subtle except for the highly contrasting lines.
Is This Painting for You?
The Throne of God
Mixed media on Canvas
14 x 11 x 0.5 in
$400 + $50 shipping
Artist Mary Rush with her painting The Throne of God at the Salt Mine.
Since I painted the previous Plein air painting in monochrome hues of silver, bronze, gold, and beige, it was time to add color to the next painting.
I decided on a blue, purple, and green color scheme. The new process of painting an abstract underpainting is so exciting to me. It adds a spring to my step, and I can’t wait to begin the process.
Giddy with joy, immersed in the Southwest Arizona desert landscape, I was prepared to paint. This painting took the shape of the landscape naturally without trying. When I had the painting in front of me on the land, the mountains lined up with what I had randomly painted abstractly. Woo hoo! So much fun!
I grabbed the palette knife and mixed the paint to the sandy color of the desert floor. Slabs of the creamy beige appeared on top of the colorful abstract below it. I laid the paint down, following the formations of the mountains. I let the color show through in places to add surprise and wonder to the landscape scene. Two gold dots peek out boldly.
I love the shimmer of the metallic colors of bronze, gold, and silver in this color palette of blue, purple, green, and yellow.
When I look at the final painting, I hear drums beating in the distance as in ancestral communication.
Flora Vibrant swaths of red, purple, and gold dominate the scene, with what appears to be a chaotic and expressive application of paint. Dabs of green and sporadic gold circles add contrast to the bold colors, suggesting an abstract and dynamic composition. Purchase the print.
Bold Move Vivid colors and dynamic brush strokes create an abstract composition that is energetic and chaotic. Dark purple and black areas contrast with bright red, green, and gold hues, while splatters and dabs of paint add to the sense of movement. Purchase the print.
Spring Shoots A red and bronze abstract painting with gold burst and bright green accents. Dark green shoots sprout up through the bright green mounds. Purchase the print.
Salt Mine in Red, Orange, and Yellow 11 x 14 x 0.5 inches Acrylic and Oil on Canvas
Passionate red, orange, and yellow warm up this canvas and set the dull desert landscape aglow.
Using my new process of painting a colorful abstract base coat, these colors are warm as opposed to the cool colors of the previous painting.
I was so excited and jazzed to get outside and paint, I forgot to pack my palette paper. So, for this painting, the paint was squeezed directly from the tube onto the canvas. I mixed it as I painted. The result is a higher saturated color.
The dark blue mountains add high contrast to the undulating sandy hills and mountains in front of it. The heat of red and orange seem to blaze through the neutral colors of the landscape. Yellow suggests sunny skies.
Let me know what you think of this painting in the comments below. Thank you for reading this far.
Salt Mine in Blue, Purple, and Green 11 x 14 x 0.5 inches Acrylic and Oil on Canvas
Since last week's plein air painting in monochrome hues of silver, bronze, gold, and beige, it was time to add color.
I decided on a blue, purple, and green color scheme. The new process of painting an abstract painting as the base coat for my Plein air paintings is so exciting to me. It adds a spring in my step and I can't wait to begin the process.
This one took the shape of the landscape naturally without trying. When I had the painting in front of me on the land, the mountains seems to line up with what I had randomly painted abstractly. Woohoo! So much fun!
I grabbed the palette knife and mixed the paint to the sandy color of the desert floor. Slabs of the creamy beige appeared on top of the colorful abstract below it. I laid the paint down in the direction of the mountains. I let the color show through in strategic places to add surprise and wonder to the landscape scene. Two gold dots peek out boldly.
The salt mine is a wonderful place to paint. I could paint hundreds of paintings there and never tire of it. Remnants of the past salt mine stick out the ground as if they are part of the flora.
Let me know what you think in the comments. Thanks for reading this far.
Me, Mary Rush, with my painting - Salt Mine in Blue, Purple, and Green.
Now that the weather is warming up, it’s time to hit the painting Plein air trail again. I’m changing up my process. I hope you like the new look of my landscapes.
A land formation at the salt mine conjures my imagination of being an enormously large chair where God sits. It is in a direct line with my driveway. So, I always feel like I live at God’s feet. He (yes, my God is he) sits on his throne and watches over me.
The photo on the left is a scanned version of the center of the painting. I stand next to the full painting in the photo to the right. The metallic gold and silver, white, and beige color scheme is subtle except for the high contrasting lines.
It’s always a thrill to hit the hiking trail with paints and an easel in tow. As much as I love painting abstract, I love being in nature too. The new process marries both the abstract and the landscape. I have the best of both worlds now. It feels great.
Collage Exploration on 9 x 12 Canvas #4 - Village Boardwalk
9 x 12 x 0.5 inches
Acrylic and Paper on Canvas
#4 of 4 in the Series: Village Boardwalk
When I walk down the boardwalk, people stop me and say, 'Oh, your house is the one that glows.'–Mary Matalin
This fourth and final piece of this series is similiar to the third in color, design, and composition. The foreground wanted to be a lighter color than #3. But the same oranges, reds, and pinks are also part of the main color story of this painting.
The composition is asymmetrical with curvilinear lines. There is high contrast of darks and lights and warm colors and cool colors. The shapes seem to move to the right. The three triangles in the foreground anchor the composition.
All in all, I think it's a pleasing and colorful image filled with good cheer. What do you think? I'd love to hear, leave a comment below.
It takes a few to make war, but it takes a village and a nation to build peace.
I have been working on a four-painting series for the past month. All four paintings are now complete. This post features the third in the series.
The Series
This series consists of four small paintings on gallery-wrapped canvas measuring 9 x 12 x 0.5 inches. The media used was acrylic paint and paper. I did two series on 9 x 12 inch paper of three paintings each and wanted to try it with gallery-wrapped canvas.
Process
The first step was to paint a white acrylic base coat on each painting. Then, I adhered colored paper shapes onto each of the four canvases, each receiving a unique approach. I painted all four canvases with the underlayer, which helped determine the design direction of each painting.
After the initial sessions of working on all four at once, I considered each one and worked consecutively, finishing each piece as I progressed to the next.
I wanted to make a series of small paintings that would hang well together. After the first painting, the color scheme took a different route. Numbers two, three, and four share a similar color story. Numbers three and four follow an almost identical design style along with the color story.
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“Composition is the art of arranging in a decorative manner the diverse elements at the painter’s command to express his feelings.” –Henri Matisse
Me, Mary Rush, with my painting, Village Boardwalk
