Featured Artist Mary Gwyn Bowen
Mary Gwyn Bowen is an artist, art educator and a former registered nurse. In her art, she focuses on the beauty and color of nature in birds, flowers, landscapes and occasionally ventures off into abstract cubism and live event painting. Oil is her favorite medium for painting but watercolor, colored pencils, silverpoint, pastels are fun too.
Mary Gwyn loves to teach Botanical painting workshops, in studio and out in the natural setting of parks and gardens. In her former nursing career she has published a research project on the positive effects of art in the surroundings of cardiac surgery patients as they recover.
Mary Gwyn devotes her time to painting the flowers and birds of West Tennessee, where she grew up, and the surrounding region, exploring beautiful natural places and taking lots of photos! And she shares her joy in art by teaching the botanical painting techniques she uses in her work. Currently, she teaches adult painting workshops at Watkins College of Art of Belmont University, and Cheekwood Estate and Museum in Nashville, TN, The Ice House Gallery, Mayfield, KY, Murray Art Guild, Murray, KY and The Dyer County Arts Council in Dyersburg, TN and other venues. Her art is featured in galleries, shops and private collections.
Mary Gwyn’s newest venture is weekend artist painting retreats in beautiful locations. Kick off will be a retreat at Reelfoot Lake in West Tennessee during the June blooming season of the unique Reelfoot Lotus Flower.
" I go by Mary Gwyn (a family name thing) or MG, never just plain Mary! I have been painting with oil paint since I was 8 years old and always dreamed of a formal art education at an art college where I could be saturated with art. In young adulthood I heeded the call to do something practical so went to nursing school, then into medical sales before circling back to finally get that saturation in art school. There were lots of ups and downs in between but I never stopped painting. Painting is my joy and my greatest survival tool. It took a while to get to school but it was worth the wait! My artistic journey has taken me to lots of places and through lots of color and texture. There is always something new to paint, some new medium or tool to try and a new direction to go in. It may have taken a long time to get that longed for formal education but the real education is in constantly exploring new and fun things to paint and techniques to try. And making lots of art friends along the way! It is my belief that art is a life long journey that never ends. Enjoy the trip!"
Connect:
https://marygwynsart.com/
https://www.facebook.com/marygwynsart
https://www.instagram.com/marygwynsart/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marygwynsart/