Mary talks to us about her new book, Behind The Painting: An Artist’s Memoir, and the power of art to provide comfort, inspire others and reveal vital truths about ourselves. 

Based in Oregon, Mary Marquiss has been an art teacher and artist for thirty years. Through serious life challenges, including divorce, family suicide, and cancer, she discovered a relationship with her art in the form of a circular language.

Q: Can you tell us about how you became an artist after having followed a different career path at first?

When I was four years old I walked into my kindergarten room, saw brightly colored lollipops in primary colors hanging from the perimeter of the classroom, and knew at that moment I wanted to be an artist. That thread of excitement for color and shape continued through high school, but my parents didn’t value art as a career so I earned a college degree in psychology instead.

After graduating, I helped open a private psychiatric hospital in Reno, Nevada and then became a product manager for a large corporation in Nashville, Tennessee. One day, as I was driving to work, I pulled over and began to cry. Art was my interest –  not the intense stress of corporate life. I  married a year later; my daughter was born and I began studying drawing and watercolor twice a week and painting at our small kitchen table when my daughter was asleep.

I pursued my art as I raised my daughter, and then helped open an art gallery in Bend, Oregon, and built an art career as a painter and art teacher for 35 years.

Q: What made you decide to write Behind the Painting?

Over time, specific paintings stood out from the others. Those paintings became a type of compass pointing toward truths I had not realized until the painting came to life.

A red poppy mirrored back the strength I needed during a rough divorce, and a bird I met in Ireland and painted gave me comfort after my sister’s suicide.

After ten years of painting realism and large format flowers, I moved into abstract cruciform design. This composition uses intersecting vertical and horizontal shapes that cross at one or more points within the picture plane, creating a stable underlying framework for the image.

When cancer arrived, the horizontal line reminded me to reach out to my community for support and the vertical reminded me to stay grounded and reach up to a higher spirit.

I saw myself being supported where the two lines crossed.

Over a thirty year period ten paintings stood out. They mirrored back the wisdom, comfort, and direction I had needed at critical times during those years. My hope was that my challenging life experiences and adventures would inspire others. My writing and art came together in my book “Behind the Painting.”

Q: Why did you choose Whitefox as a publishing partner and how did you find the process of working with us to bring the book to life?

I have been a freelance writer all of my adult life and painted for 38 years, so the idea of combining my art and writing was always with me, especially in the shower! Something about that water!

As a professional artist it was critical that a publisher respect the quality of art reproduction and understand the combination of my writing and art. Harriet Stone at Whitefox was my incredible senior editor. She was patient with my process, giving me professional direction all along the way with excellent communication. She made the entire experience delightful and fun. Zoila Marenco in marketing was incredibly knowledgeable and great to work with too. I knew Whitefox was the right home for my book and the end result was excellent!

Q: When you’re painting, do you have a particular creative process and can you tell us a bit more about your artistic style? 

I studied drawing for a full year in college and then supplemented that with years of watercolor classes. I wanted to be proficient in one medium so I chose watercolor. It has a reputation for being challenging and difficult to control but I love the magic it creates when colors merge in water and the challenging aspect. I can use it straight from the tube for a dark value all the way to a light blush with a touch of pigment and lots of water.

My process has evolved over time and is dependent upon each vision. I typically think about my relationship to something I want to paint for quite a while before I begin. Often a photograph from a trip I’ve taken will inspire me. Now that my book has launched, I’m playing with the concept of FREEDOM. I purchased three antique keys in an antique shop in the Cotswolds recently and am playing with different connections to those keys.

I work out the design with small thumbnail pencil sketches. Then I mix colors from a limited color family and play around with those to see what additional colors they create, bringing in additional colors depending upon what the painting wants. I often think, “what if I try this, or that?” Play is vital. Next I sketch the subject onto 300 pound watercolor paper and let the paint flow. I work on dry paper when I want control and wet into wet for the magic where colors meet and swim.  I always finish off the painting with colored pencils for the detail.

There are a host of techniques available to use in this medium like scumbling, salt, splatter and wax resist.  These are all explained in the afterword of my book.

Q: Your personal experiences have inspired many of your paintings and this is the central theme of the book. Has creating art been a source of strength and comfort for you as you navigated challenging times?

Art is the process of bringing something from within to the outside in visual form. This is the power of your art – it reveals what is on the inside –  an emotion, a symbolic shape, an important color or even whispering what is to come.

The red poppy on the cover of my book was the first painting that mirrored back the  strength I needed at a critical time. A woman purchased the poppy to honor her passionate friend who had taken her life after a divorce. Then I discovered my husband was having an affair with one of my best friends and when I saw that poppy in their home each week as I taught a watercolor class there, I was amazed at the painting’s strength! Had I painted such a strong image? Yes I had! And I knew from seeing the strength in that painting each week that I would have the strength to navigate my own divorce.

My relationship with my art has always been highly personal. There was a painting I struggled with years ago that was on 300 pound paper which means it is cardboard weight. It was an abstract piece I became highly irritated with. So I took it outside and put it on the driveway, got in my car, and drove over it a few times out of frustration.

The tire marks became a source of inspiration to continue with the painting. It is funny to think about that moment now.

Paintings “mirroring back wisdom” actually aligns with what neuroscientists call metacognition: the brain’s ability to observe and learn from its own experiences through reflection and creative expression.

Q: As a former teacher, what advice would you give to other people who want to find a creative outlet for themselves but aren’t sure where to begin? 

Great Question! I suggest paying attention to what resonates with you. What colors do you prefer? Cool or warm? Both? What shapes are interesting to you? Do landscapes inspire you or do you like to get into the detail of a still life?

There are so many ways to be creative. Cooking, sewing, knitting, clay, printing, calligraphy, singing, dancing, collecting. Inspiration is everywhere! I am inspired by the colors and shapes in produce markets, for instance.

If painting is interesting to you there are a multitude of mediums to choose from like oils, acrylics, pastels, and watercolor. I chose watercolor because of the magic it creates with water and because it is easy to clean up and take along on my travels. I suggest purchasing three primary colors to begin, good quality paint, a good brush and the best quality paper.  Invest in yourself! The quality makes a big difference in the result.  Then play with these three colors to create the secondary colors – green, purple and orange. Play invites the brain to engage and time slips away. Dopamine is released, serotonin can increase, and norepinephrine and endorphins come into play.

Q: How is Behind the Painting helping you to spread the message about your work to a wider audience?

Having my art and stories together in book form is like a calling card. It explains my work in written and visual form without having to always reinvent myself. The book, eBook and audiobook are all finding their way in the world, hopefully inspiring others to live their own lives with courage and creativity, thanks in great part to Whitefox Publishing and the delightful experience I had with their team!