Mary Jane Volkmann Fine Art

I’ve just returned from quite a week at the Winter Park Paint Out!  The organizers pulled out all the stops to make it a fabulous week.  It always takes me a couple of days to reorient myself after these intense weeks of non-stop painting, functions and visiting with my fellow artists.  A concurrent poetry competition about our paintings was running during the week.  Here are a couple of the paintings I did with a little anecdote about them and a sampling of the poems written about them.  I’ve included a link to each author’s page on the web.

Friendly Faces

When you see the flowers that she paints,
They all just start to bloom.
And the light she squeezes from the tube,
Could brighten any room.

She tells a story with her brushes,
Of love and fragile beauty.
The colors tend to fold and blend,
As though it were their duty.

Her paintings seem to bring to life,
The earth and trees and skies.
Our world would be a better place,
If seen through Mary’s eyes.

P.N.
http://allpoetry.com/poem/9593657-Mary_Jane_Volkmann-by-Beret55

The first day we started painting it was chilly and the wind was howling with gusts up to 35 mph!  I parked my easel in a corner of the garden and painted these flowers, watching as they began to wither in the wind. I worked  quickly to keep them alive on my canvas!  

Ready and Waiting

Nature’s gentle palette brushes softly ’round me
touching my skin and hair and moving heart and soul
The artist mirrors Nature’s magic perfectly
Inviting me to come in from the bitter cold

Wrap Nature’s warm and loving blanket around me
The Peace She offers in Her many shades of green
The artist shares Nature’s deepest serenity
So sensitive to light and dark and mood and scene

What a joy and precious gift our wond’rous world is
What vision, love and talent move Miss Mary Jane
With what skill she softens the wooden bench she sees
Inviting us with her heart, soul, skilled hands and brain

To sit still and calm with Nature all around us
to enjoy Her beauty and welcome Her caress.

~ Maxine Smithers

http://allpoetry.com/poem/9597451-Natures_Caress__inspired_by_Mary_Jane_Volkmans_Ready_and_Waiting._-by-maxine_smithers

It usually takes me a day or two to visually find my way around new places where I am invited to paint. One of the things I noticed about Winter Park was how many places have benches on which to sit and relax.  I found this one in a neighborhood where I spent several days painting.

Whisper

What secrets are being murmured around
in such hush-hush tones under the trees?
Like a spoil-sport sneaks in a playful breeze!
In its ceaseless chanting all sound is drowned.
With vibrant flowers, the hedges are crowned.
An assortment of scents bedazzles the bees.
They flutter, and then settle down with ease
on the gourmet buffet spread on the ground.

Even a comely scene casts such a spell!
Such enduring charm does Nature possess!
Its sights and sounds, its captivating smell
relax the soul, alleviate the stress.
In this sylvan splendour, let my heart dwell
gathering calmness from Nature’s caress.

~ Krishnaa

http://allpoetry.com/poem/9583433-Enchanted-Mary_Jane_Volkmann_whisper_-by-Krishnaa

This painting is on my home page and in my last post.  It was my feature painting this year at the Winter Park Paint Out.  I was particularly touched by the responses it evoked in the people who looked at it and talked with me about it.  Krishnaa caught so clearly the thoughts and inspirations within me as I painted it.

Framed

A bench
by a river
under moss lined trees.
Through an open arch
a doorway
of opportunity.

http://allpoetry.com/poem/9545845-Mary_Jane_Volkmann__-_Through_an_Open_Arch-by-SK_Merchandise

As I drove along a little street I happened to notice a vacant lot with a “for sale” sign.  It had a huge oak tree which could provide great shade in which to paint, so I looked to see whether there was anything of interest.  My eye caught the wooden walk way at the bottom of the lot, and through the vegetation I noticed this bench at the water’s edge.  As I was painting it, the rising sun suddenly exposed the pink oleanders which had been hidden in the shadows! 

Beyond the fund raising for museums, organizations, events and naturally for the artists, paint outs are great ways to connect with old and new friends, to grow as artists and to interact with the community.  I had such delightful experiences with children in the neighborhood in which I painted in Winter Park.  Several came running over after they got home from school and sat next to me while I painted, asking questions and talking about their own creative experiences.  When they returned from after school activities they would run across again to see what progress I had made and to ask about other things they had wondered about after our previous conversations.  One of the mothers walked over one morning to say how much they appreciated this interaction.  All of us hope that we can pass along the joy of painting to the younger generation.  Painting outdoors is such a wonderful way to connect our inner and outer worlds as we sit, observe, listen to the birds and simply find peace.  Whether the painting is going well or not, there is always something joyful in the process!  I’ve also found that once people watch what they do, they are so eager to show us special spots they have discovered and to offer us opportunities to paint in places we could never have imagined.  I’ve made some new friends and thank each one of you!

Next up: I’m attending a conference about art and spirit, then I’m off to the great John Campbell Folk School in North Carolina to take a class in metal working (a first for me).  Afterwards I’ll be co-teaching a painting class with my friend and fellow artist, Kathleen Wobie.  We do this twice a year.

Thanks for your visit!

~Mary Jane Volkmann

After three glorious days painting in the magnificent flower gardens of the United Kingdom pavilion at Epcot, I’ve had great practice for the Winter Park Invitational Paint Out which begins this coming Sunday. Each year the team of volunteer gardeners at the Albin Polasek Museum, where the paint out is held, do everything they can to prepare visual delights for us to paint.  I’m normally one of the first painters to arrive at the crack of dawn because I so enjoy the early morning light.  My feature painting from last year is shown here on the top left with my feature painting for this year on the bottom right (you can see it enlarged on my current home page).

The organizers of this Paint Out are incredibly thoughtful and considerate of the artists.  Ahead of the event, they send each of us a poster with our own painting as a feature.  We can post these online and send them to our patrons via email.  On our arrival they have a welcome kit which includes, among other things, maps of interesting places to paint and cards with one of our paintings featured on them.  We can give these to people who come by and are interested in our paintings.  The cards have a printed schedule of events and help people remember each of us. Each day the organizers prepare breakfast for us and put out snacks and cold water which are available throughout the long days of painting.  We are free to paint all around Winter Park, but I tend to spend quite a bit of time in the gardens themselves.  I am looking forward to seeing all my old friends and to making new ones!

On my return I will head to the John Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, N. Carolina, where I will be co-teaching an acrylic plein air painting class with Kathie Wobie.  Spring is lovely up there and the air is so fresh in the mountains!  We enjoy working with fellow painters and learn so much ourselves in the process.  One of the perks of teaching at the school is being able to take one class for each class we teach, provided there is space, of course.  This time I’m going to take a metal working class.  The subject is flowers!  The school has a new forge which is state of the art.  Having never worked in metal, this should prove interesting… Wish me luck.

I had hoped to post more photos of my paintings before leaving, but my camera is rebelling.  It simply doesn’t want to cooperate!  When I have more time, I’ll try and figure that out…

Wishing you a happy spring!

Mary Jane Volkmann

For the past nine years a group of 16 artists from the southeast has been invited to paint in the gardens of Epcot during the “Art in the Garden” weekend of the International Flower and Garden Festival.  I feel privileged to be part of this event and look forward to it each year.  As was so beautifully explained to us by the Vice President of Disney, Disney is founded on art.  It is about imagination.  Giving the public and especially children the opportunity to see paintings created first hand and to ask questions and be inspired is the purpose behind this particular weekend of the event.  I never cease to be amazed by the number of children who stop to watch us paint and ask questions.  I’ve been keeping a little record of the types of questions they ask.  Number one on my list has been “what do you do when you make a mistake?”.  I have found that when they ask this question, the parents lean in very closely to hear my answer.  I always tell the children that I don’t think there is a “mistake” in painting.  Each one of us has our own style, whether we paint realistically or in the abstract, but as artists we are always experimenting and trying new things.  If we don’t like something about what we are looking at to paint, or what we are painting, we change it, move it or remove it.  Sometimes I may tell them to watch as I change my decision.  I’ll take something I’ve painted on the canvas in front of me and pick up a brush and paint right over it, removing it from my painting.  It’s fun to see their jaws drop!  “You mean it’s ok to do that?” They seem to get so excited and I hope it gives them permission to enjoy the process of feeling free to create in whatever way their imagination talks to them!  I also note the relief and the happiness of the parents.  Many will come back later to ask us questions about encouraging their children.  Some families return each year when they know we are coming for the festival.  To accompany the event, Epcot has even set up a children’s area where they can try their hand at creating art!  Thank you, Disney and Epcot, for providing such a unique opportunity to keep alive and regenerate that creative spirit in the community.

Speaking of inspiration, each year we go to the International Flower and Garden Festival to paint I am excited to see what the horticultural experts of Epcot have planted.  There is something new and different each year. The exquisite attention to detail is mind boggling.  We arrive in the early hours to get set up to paint and all day long one sees how any withered plant is quickly replaced so beauty is maintained at all times.  I also note how any scrap of rubbish is immediately picked up ~ by anyone on staff.  What an example!

I leave for Epcot tomorrow.  If you can make it for the festival, you will be delighted.  Bring the kids and prepare yourself to be inspired!

I am happy to report that the paintings from the Six Artists Six Prairies project are now hanging at Prairie Creek Lodge in Gainesville, Florida.  I had imagined such a nice day painting with the other artists and enjoying the show opening, but managed to catch a nasty bronchial virus with a long recovery process instead!  Imagine this: my paintings were scattered around the house, my frames were in different places in my closet, dining room and studio (I had not yet chosen which frame to go with which painting and two paintings needed final touches) and I was coughing my lungs out in a hospital bed! A dear friend and one of our sons came to my rescue.  They pulled out the frames and decided which ones they thought worked the best with the paintings then sent me photos with their cell phones.  I could then have a look and text them back with my response.  They then framed them all!  Another friend kindly arranged to send two other friends to the house to have the paintings picked up and delivered to the lodge.  I was still in bed (at home) during the opening but could look at the photographs of the event as visitors posted them on Facebook.  Ah, the joys of modern technology!  Big, big thanks to my family and friends.  I appreciate all of you so much!

Happily I am recovering and can work a little bit each day.  I have started roughing out an 18″ x 24″ painting of cypress trees in the water, a subject I enjoyed spending time painting another view of when I was in Winter Park at a previous paint out.  I intend this to be my starter painting for the Winter Park Invitational Paint Out at the Polasek Museum in April.  Once this is finished I will then return to a few paintings I have started to add to the collection of paintings for our big show about the Barrier Islands at the Turner Center in the fall.

I am hoping to find residencies on barrier islands or in other natural areas to spend time on location painting.  If you know of anyone who has a cottage or apartment sitting idle and who would like to host an artist or two, please let me know!

Meanwhile, enjoy more photos of the show at Prairie Creek Lodge.  I’ve included more of a description, a link to directions and a telephone number on the home page of my website.

Spring has arrived in Florida!  The azaleas are blooming, the buds are bursting and the birds are singing so sweetly!  Happy spring to all ~ whenever it arrives in your area!

Mary Jane Volkmann

Prairie Creek Lodge, photo by Jeff Knee

Inside, photo by Sue Sinclair

Paintings are hanging on the walls and are on tables around the lodge. Both of these photos are courtesy of Linda Blondheim.

When I’m outdoors painting I keep my binoculars and my iBird Explorer Pro handy!  I get such a thrill in watching and listening to the birds, especially the flocks of Sandhill Cranes in Florida at this time of year.  I am now busy putting the final touches on a number of paintings which will be hung at the Prairie Creek Lodge as part of the Six Artists Six Prairies Project.  Outdoor Painter online magazine did a nice feature about our project in a recent article.  You can read more on our blog, and especially about our upcoming big event in collaboration with the Alachua Conservation Trust. (If you are in the area, do try and come as it promises to be a great event!)  In one of my prairie paintings I have attempted to paint a couple of Sandhill Cranes.  Looking at them is one thing, but trying to paint them has required some serious study of their structure and dynamics of gesture!  Speaking of study, I have taken on an interesting new project with fellow artist Linda Blondheim.  It is called the Artists in Residence Project.  We are exploring diverse natural areas in depth so we can paint them with insight and understanding.  We just returned from the Merritt Island and Canaveral National Seashore area where we were astounded by the variety of habitats and ecology we found.  We returned loaded with ideas and images we are painting.  Gradually we will build up a collection of our paintings to show and sell at different venues.  If you know of anyone who would like to support this project through letting us use an unoccupied vacation home or apartment for a week, please let us know.  You can read more on our blog about our explorations and see our paintings as they evolve.  While visiting Merritt Island I met my first Florida Scrub Jays on a walk.  I also observed Roseate Spoonbills, Northern Shovelers, Blue-winged Teal and many other birds.  I have decided I want to paint more of them!

Mary Jane Volkmann painting Tuscawilla Prairie

It was a glorious fall in Florida.  The weather seemed to change so slowly and it seemed to my artist eyes that the leaves stayed longer on the trees in more color than I had seen in previous years.  It was great to get out and explore, watching the changing landscape to the calling of the Sandhill Cranes as they arrived during their winter migration.  The prairies exploded in both soft and brilliant golds, rusts, browns and violets and a bush I have yet to identify carpeted the landscape with bouquets of ivory!  I am now finishing several prairie paintings which will be hung during the big event at Prairie Creek Lodge on February 25 as part of the Six Artist Six Prairies project.  The artists in the project will be painting on location and our paintings will be sold.  We have offered a portion of the sales to support conservation, in this case the Alachua Conservation Trust, hoping to help them with their worthwhile endeavors.

Despite my efforts to trim my calendar events, this year brings three invitational plein air painting events, two teaching weeks, a couple of residencies and a major three person exhibition in November.  I must say that I am looking forward to each of them!   Stay tuned, I’ll be uploading new images as my paintings are completed and I’ll write about my journeys on this page.

Happy 2012 to each of you!

an ala prima oil painting I did of a marsh at Seminole Rest

I just returned from two back to back events: a teaching week with my friend and fellow artist Kathleen Wobie at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina, followed by a week of painting at the Canaveral National Seashore Invitational Paint Out.  It was a delightful time to be outdoors enjoying the autumn colors and cooler weather while giving students the tools to unleash their creativity at the Folk School, and in personal creative time at the seashore.  I have uploaded a few new images to my painting galleries.

Each time I plan ahead for these events I tell myself I am going to rest and relax with my books in between my teaching and painting, and that I’ll sleep in until the last moment.  Ha!  Instead I find myself waking several times in the middle of the night to run gaze at the stars which I cannot see because of the street and floodlights in my neighborhood at home.  I saw the milky way so clearly several nights!  Then I set my alarm, but jump up before dawn excited to see the beautiful sunrise and listen to the first bird calls of the day!  I tell myself I’ll rest in the middle of the day, but instead I walk around looking at the beauty around me while sniffing the air to enjoy the fallen leaves, clover and mist.

While I was at the paint out at New Smyrna Beach I discovered a gorgeous marsh at Seminole Rest.  On one side I could watch the sun rise over the Indian River while on the other I could watch the birds and marvel at the reflections in the water in the marsh.  One morning I set up to paint and a friendly neighbor walked up to me and asked if I would like to paint from the large second floor balcony of the house nearby where I would be sheltered from the wind.  This gave me a unique perspective of the marsh in every direction.  The paintings I did there, such as the one in this post, were ala prima, which means I painted them there and haven’t touched them further.  I have met so many kind and interesting people the last couple of weeks and I thank each one of you for your interest, your support, your hospitality and for sharing of yourselves and your stories.

Autumn at John C. Campbell Folk School

Sunrise over the Indian River at Canaveral

Now it’s time to think about upcoming events and new paintings while working with our conservation partners, the Conservation Trust of Florida and the Alachua Conservation Trust, painting our natural areas and finding ways to sell these paintings to contribute to my upkeep and their conservation efforts……

Life is good!

Welcome to my new website!  I’ve wanted to do this myself for a long time, so I finally registered with ed2go and took a course in Word Press.  This is the second course I have taken with ed2go, and I am incredibly impressed.  Many thanks to David Johnson, a fellow artist who designed and maintained my website so beautifully for several years, to Oliver Volkmann, our son, who re-did it and maintained it for me, and to Brian Pollock, who helped me code the new header, template variation and other adjustments for this site and who is now hosting it with his new Tampa based company.

So many people ask about my paintings, explorations, workshops and new art and conservation project that I have decided to incorporate a blog into my website.  I will be updating it once or twice a month.  If you’d like to follow along, do subscribe. I’ll be sharing stories, photographs, interesting information and, of course, paintings!

I hope you enjoy what you find here!     ~Mary Jane Volkmann