#maryconover

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Light and the Search for the Eternal

Mary Conover, Venezia II, Archival Pigment Print

Born and raised in Virginia, Mary Conover is another artist featured in the group exhibit “A Collection of Favorites” on display now. Conover learned to paint alongside her parents on summer vacations in Cape Cod by the ocean. Her extensive educational background in art along with her diverse life experience allows Conover to pull from a sundry of sources in her work.

Mary Conover, Long Island Abstract II, Archival Pigment Print

After working as a fashion photographer in Paris and a photojournalist tarvelling through Africa and Spain, Conover subsequently began a self-directed education in photography. She studied with greats like Wolf Kahn, Carol Anthony, Stuart Shils, Harmony Hammond and Enrique Martinez Ceyla.

Mary Conover, Midnight Storm Sicily, Archival Pigment Print

Heavily influenced by Carl Jung who pioneered the study of alchemy and who was a mentor to her grandmother, Conover’s work seeks to transcend time, constantly searching for the eternal.

Mary Conover, Windy Coast II, Archival Pigment Print

Light is the essence of Conover’s work. Her art examines the continuity between physical light and the glow of human energy.

Mary Conover, Lake Michigan Study #2, Archival Pigment Print

Seamlessly crossing the realms of landscape and the imagination, it is difficult to discern whether her abstractions depict memories from reality or a dream.

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The Versatility of Paintings

When you're thinking of buying a painting, in addition to the importance of finding a piece with subjective meaning and aesthetic beauty, it is important to consider the painting's visual appearance in a particular room.  Although a painting’s colours may be bright and eye-catching, there is something beautiful about a painting that interacts with the colours of the room, as opposed to overwhelming and consuming it.

Mary Conover, Darkness Thinking Light

If the walls in a particular room are light, such as off-white or pale blue, you might want to consider an artist that paints with subtle and monotone colours, like the works by Mary Conover, who is featured at The Navillus Gallery.  In contrast, if the walls of a particular room are bright and vivacious, paintings with chaotic colours, like the works by Francoise Nielly, would make for a good choice.  However, an artist’s paintings become extremely versatile when they contain a mix of different colours, as it is likely that one of the colours in the painting will interact nicely with the colours of the room.

Francoise Nielly, Shanghai

One such versatile artist featured at The Navillus Gallery is Kirk Mechar, whose paintings consist of bursts of colour in the form of expansive floral patterns.

Kirk Mechar, Cascade Green

His floral pattern for Cluster (Blue), which is placed on a blue background, is composed of dark purple, pastel green, yellow, and beige.  Although the inclusion of yellow makes the painting seem like a burst of bright light, the dark purple, pastel green, and white provide it with more subtlety, and thereby this painting can be placed in a bright or a monotone room.

Kirk Mechar, Cluster Blue

Mechar’s floral patter for Cascade (Green), which is placed on a bright green background, consists of bright red, bright yellow, and white.  The use of white makes this bright composition more subtle, and the green and red interact with each other since they are complimentary colours in the visual system.  This painting can also be placed in a bright or a monotone room.

If you have the chance to stop by Yorkville, visit us at The Navillus Gallery to come and see some of Kirk Mechar’s beautiful and versatile works!