Mary Meuwissen

Who influenced you the most to become an artist? My father was a creative man and in his spare time, he painted sports vignettes around the walls and had a full woodworking shop in our family home. He was an educator and encouraged me to pursue Art Education. Other art movements that have influenced me are the Impressionists for their ability to capture the beauty of light at a particular moment of time and the Abstract Expressionists because of the free, spontaneous and emotional expression that I find particularly inviting.

If you could hang one of your paintings in a celebrity’s house, whose house would it be and why? This is a tough one. I have always enjoyed listening to music while I paint. Music of all kinds inspires me to get moving and loosen up. I think my person would be Joni Mitchell as I have always admired her poetic and adventurous style. I would be honored to have her look at my work let alone having one in her home.

Is there anything else we should know about you or your work? My work has been juried into shows at the Kollman & Reeb Gallery, (Northrup King Building), Hallberg Center for the Arts, (Wyoming, MN) Bridgeport Art Center, (Chicago), Art2Life Juried International Exhibition (Virtual), Bridgewater Lofts, (Minneapolis), MN Stone Arch Lofts, (Minneapolis) ‘Foot in the Door’ at Minneapolis Institute of Art, The Minneapolis Women’s Club and Petroglyphs (Tucson, AZ). I also have my work in private collections throughout the United States. I split my time between my working studio at Northrup King in NE Minneapolis and my winter studio in Marana, AZ. I live in Golden Valley with my husband, Alan, and have one son who lives in St. Louis Park.

Mary Meuwissen is a processed-based artist living and working in Minnesota. Her paintings are informed by a devotion to ‘play’, and this approach allows her surfaces to come alive with texture, depth, and a color language all her own. Enjoy!

Why did you decide to become an artist, and how long have you been creating? My earliest recollections of wanting to be an artist started around the age of 9. As a kid, I was always interested in making pretty pictures to go along with a paper I had to write, a math problem that had me stumped, and the constant doodling while trying to take serious notes. In high school, I took all the art classes offered and honed in on Art History as being particularly interesting. My college years earned me a BS in Art Education with specialties in Art History and painting in Watercolor. I have been a creator all my life, as a teacher and museum guide with the last 10 years devoted to being a full-time painter.

Sugar and Spice by Mary Meuwissen, 24 x 24”, oil and cold wax medium on board (sold)

Tell us about your creative process. I am a scribbler and a mark maker. Every painting starts with a playful exercise to loosen up and to help direct me to the next moves. I rarely plan a painting or it’s color palette prior to my start. I enjoy letting the marks, shapes and lines inform me until the point where the painting defines where it wants to go. Most often, my paintings reflect an abstract version of a place that I have visited or a balance of shapes, lines and color that are a bit off kilter and abstract. Oil and cold wax as a medium is my staple but I continue to investigate mixed media and some fiber art.